We've had enough snow recently to increase the coverage and avalanche hazard. How the wind distributes the snow is the big question. Watch closely for windloading as the winds increase.
Weather Forecast
We are expecting snow to come in for Sunday. In the meantime, westerly winds will increase to 55km tonight and tomorrow. Flurries will accompany winds, but amounts won't add up much until Sunday. Temperatures will remain steady at -10°.
Avalanche Summary
Nothing new today.
Snowpack Summary
10-20 cm of new snow came in yesterday and last night. While below treeline areas are improving for coverage, we are still below threshold in terms of avalanche problems. At treeline, the story changes significantly. We have two layers of interest: the "Halloween" crust and recent windslabs. The crust depth varies, but it is generally down 30-40cm from the top. The windslabs sit above the crust and vary in thickness (on average 20-40cm). Tests have had repeatable failures immediately below the crust on a layer facets. As of this afternoon, winds were increasing with windslab development ongoing.
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.