Avoid all slope with cornices overhead as there is recent evidence of them falling recently. This is considered a large trigger on the slope below.
Weather Forecast
Saturday will be cloudy, sun and flurries, 5cm of snow, -2 C, West winds 25-50km/hr, and freezing level 1900m. Sunday will be a mix of sun and cloud, -10 to -5, West winds 15-45km/hr, and freezing level 1600m. Monday will be sun and cloud, no precipitation, -9 to plus 1 C, light winds, and 2400m freezing level.
Snowpack Summary
Windslabs are up to 40cm deep. Sun or temperature crusts extend to treeline and continued into the alpine on southerly slopes. Persistent slabs can be found on most aspects at treeline and above. These have been most reactive recently to large triggers like cornice failures. Below 1,900m the snowpack is isothermal.
Avalanche Summary
No patrol Friday. In the past 48hrs persistent slab avalanches up to size 3.5 have occurred from alpine terrain. They are size 2-2.5 and are are being triggered by cornice failures or small windslab avalanches stepping down to these deeper layers. With freezing levels reaching treeline expect some loose avalanches on South to West facing slopes.
Confidence
Freezing levels are uncertain
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.
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.