Eagerly anticipating the forecasted new snow to add to the steadily improving quality of riding throughout the region.
Weather Forecast
Weak systems will move into the forecasting area bringing isolated and relatively small pulses of snow over the day. Expectations are low initially but, the system is forecasted to ramp up snowfall by Tuesday evening and through the week. Broken skies, light winds and seasonal daytime temps anticipated (-3 in valley bottom and -16 up high).
Snowpack Summary
The ~40 cm of snow received last week has settled with little wind effect in most areas. This has blanketed previous surfaces including sun crusts on solar aspects, wind slab below ridge lines and cross-loaded gulley features are buried. The Feb10th drought layer is 50-100 cm deep and is the greatest concern for skier/climber triggering.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches reported today.
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain
Problems
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.
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.