Watch for thin wind slabs in the alpine that could be problematic, especially in technical terrain.
Confidence
Good - Due to the number and quality of field observations
Weather Forecast
The weather over the next three days looks relatively benign, with cloudy skies. Light flurries are expected on Thursday and again on Saturday. The freezing level makes a gradual rise towards 2000 m by Saturday, Winds are light to moderate from the W to NW.
Avalanche Summary
On Tuesday, a skier triggered a small size 1 hard wind slab in a cross-loaded terrain feature. A skier was involved in a small wind slab avalanche on a S/SE facing alpine feature on Saturday. See more here: https://bit.ly/1BQ4JtP. Otherwise there has been little avalanche activity over the last few days.
Snowpack Summary
North and west winds (mainly from the north) have created isolated stiff wind slabs 5 to 10 cm thick on lee slopes. On other slopes you may find tired old wind slabs, a sun crust on all solar aspects, surface hoar, surface facets, and/or up to 5 cm of soft snow over a widespread supportive rain crust in wind sheltered areas. The snowpack is generally strong and well settled. However, large cornices may become weak with daytime warming.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.