NW winds building wind slab in the alpine and exposed areas at treeline. Manage your sluff appropriately in steep terrain.
Weather Forecast
A ridge of high pressure has settled in over Roger's Pass, expect cloudy skies with some sunny breaks throughout the day today. No new snow is forecast and the alpine high will be -11 with the freezing level staying at valley bottom. Winds will be generally light from the Northwest. The high pressure will dominate the weather through the week.
Snowpack Summary
50cm of settling HST from past several days has giving many riders & skiers the 'woohoo' syndrome. The November 26/23rd crusts are down 65-80cm, with recent stability tests showing moderate-hard results with resistent to sudden planar fracture character. The lower snowpack is still moist but is starting to dry out with cooler temperatures.
Avalanche Summary
Several naturals yesterday along the highway corridor up to Sz 2.5The storm from Friday and Saturday brought heavy snowfall and strong winds at ridgetop. This triggered a natural avalanche cycle to size 3 with some paths running to valley bottom.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable
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.
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.