Moderate avalanche hazard means human-triggered avalanches are possible. Winds slabs and a buried sun crust require thoughtful decision making.
Weather Forecast
Today will be mostly cloudy with scattered flurries amounting to 5 cm. Convective flurries are possible which could significantly boost snowfall amounts. Ridgetop wind will be westerly 10-20kph and freezing level is forecast to 900m. That should be it for precip for the early part of the week atleast with mostly trace amounts forecast.
Snowpack Summary
We have 10cm of new snow which covers windslabs on all aspects above tree line. A crust/facet combo is down 30-50cm on solar aspects and has potential to be a good bed surface for avalanches. Rising freezing level & strong sun yesterday turned the surface snow moist on solar aspects and everywhere below 1400m. The January PWL's are buried 150-200cm
Avalanche Summary
Yesterday's strong solar input & rising freezing level triggered a natural avalanche cycle to size 2.5 mostly from steep solar slopes. The avalanches were loose & moist reaching into the middle of the run outs.
Confidence
Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.