Confidence
Fair - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Monday
Weather Forecast
Sunday: Light snowfall / Moderate southwesterly winds / Freezing level at 1200mMonday: Moderate to locally heavy snowfall / Moderate to strong westerly winds / Freezing level at 1300m Tuesday: Broken cloud with no precipitation / Light westerly wind / Freezing level at 900m
Avalanche Summary
Windslab avalanches to size 1 were ski cut in the region on Friday in steep, rocky start zones. This activity occurred in response to new snow and wind in recent days. No other avalanches were reported.
Snowpack Summary
Recent snow and strong southerly winds have created pockets of touchy wind slab in exposed lee terrain and cross-loaded features, and scoured windward slopes. Roughly 20-30cm of settling storm snow overlies a variety of old surfaces which formed during the early December cold snap. These surfaces include sugary faceted snow (which may overlie a crust in some areas), spotty surface hoar in sheltered terrain, and hard wind slab on south-facing alpine terrain. The storm snow generally appears to be well bonded to this interface but instabilities may exist in isolated areas.Snowpack depths vary greatly across the region, but are significantly lower than average for this time of year. Terrain below treeline is still mostly below threshold for avalanche activity. Early season riding hazards such as rocks, stumps and logs are lurking below the surface in many areas. In glaciated terrain new snow on the surface might be just enough to hide open crevasses where supportive snow bridges have not yet developed.
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.