New snow is headed this way on Monday it looks like but unfortunately, strong winds and warmer temps are coming along with it! Cross your fingers for no November Rain Crust!
Weather Forecast
Winds and temps are forecast to begin to increase on Monday with the arrival of warmer air. This new front will carry some precipitation with it and we may get 10-20cm overnight on Monday evening. Not all models are in agreement on this storm at this time so stay tuned.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche activity was observed over the past 48hrs.
Snowpack Summary
Not much is changing out there there these days. Valley floors only have 10-15cm of snow and as you climb higher snow amount increase to anywhere from 50cm-1m of snow. In alpine areas there are pockets of windslabs along ridgelines and in gullied terrain. These were easily observed on Saturday during an ice-climbing training day. The Halloween crust can be found 10-20cm off the ground up to 2400m. Some older slides travelled far on this crust. Its important to note that field observations are very limited at this time.
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.