Wind is the critical missing piece right now. Watch for local wind patterns and be on the lookout for fresh slabs.
Weather Forecast
Flurries will leave up to 8cm of new snow by tomorrow afternoon. Temps will rise slightly, but still max out at -4 in the alpine. The winds are expected to pick up at the 2500m elevation. They will average 25km/hr and gust up to 65km/hr, out of the west.
Avalanche Summary
There was one sz2 noted today on an alpine feature. It was approx 2300m, and an east aspect.
Snowpack Summary
Yesterday's fresh snow remains mostly untouched by winds. There are pockets of soft slab starting at upper treeline, but for the most part the new snow is still low density. The Jan 31st interface is the main concern right now. At treeline, it is down 15-25cm's. Tests revealed some facetting immediately below this Jan 31 crust (Compression Test Easy 10, SC). The lack of a windslab keeps this from being a major avalanche problem at the moment. On south aspects, the crust is up to 2400m and 1cm thick. On non-solar aspects the crust is up to 2200m. Windslabs quickly take over at that point and continue to peak height.
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.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.