Prepare for adventurous travel below treeline with a variable overnight refreeze. Watch out for skier triggerable windslabs in the North alpine where it is still possible to find winter snow.
Weather Forecast
Mainly cloudy today with flurries this morning, rain possible to 1500m this afternoon. Alpine high of -4 as the freezing level rises to 1800m. Wind is forecast to be strong from the SW. Flurries are forecast to continue tonight and tomorrow, persisting into next week with 10cm of accumulation by Tuesday.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 15cm of recent snow with moderate Southerly winds has formed wind slabs at TL and ALP elevations. The recent snow buries a melt freeze crust on all aspects to tree line. Below the crust, the top 50cm is becoming moist during the day, isothermal in thin snowpack areas BTL. Elsewhere the lower snowpack is strong where over 2m.
Avalanche Summary
A size 1.5 skier accidental was reported from Cheops North 4 on Thursday. Crown depth was 10-20cm, 10m wide and ran for 700m stopping at the top of the fan, no involvement. Several other size 1-1.5 natural wind slabs were also observed in the area. MacDonald Gully #12 produced a natural size 2 early Thursday morning and ran 3/4 down the fan.
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 Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.