No shortage of tracks out there right now. However, we are developing a shortage in untouched, skiable terrain. Careful terrain choices will become increasingly important in the next while.
Weather Forecast
Winds increasing to strong in the alpine and moderate at treeline. Daytime temps of -10 at TL. No precip in the immediate forecast. We'll have to wait until Sunday for that....
Avalanche Summary
No new obs
Snowpack Summary
SH growing up to 10mm, 2100m and below. Top 20 facetting with strong TG. Above 2100m surface snow is either wind pressed or has thin windslabs, all aspects. Buried WS in ALP and TL. Midpack holding up well despite cold temps. Nov crust down 80-110 at 2200m and breaking down in certain areas. These areas are unpredictable.
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.