Temperatures tomorrow should be a little better. Lots of folks out there today enjoying the good skiing. As the regular lines see more traffic, be sure to assess any new lines with a critical eye. MM
Confidence
Fair - Wind speed or direction are uncertain for the entire period
Weather Forecast
Temperatures are expected to climb in the next 24hrs (luckily!). Winds in the alpine will speed up to the strong range (<60 km/hr) and shift to a NW flow. As for precip, we'll have to settle with what we have for now. Not much expected in K-Country for Sunday.
Avalanche Summary
Lots of loose dry avalanches in the last 24hrs. Most out of very steep(45 degree plus) terrain, all aspects and limited to the alpine. Cornice failure has been a theme lately. The most significant observation was on the North face of Mt. Bogart. A cornice triggered a size 3 avalanche out of high (3000m) alpine terrain.
Snowpack Summary
Surface facetting in upper 10cm's. Windslabs are buried beneath this about 15cm. The mid-pack is generally well settled and supportive. The Nov. 6 crust is down 70-80 at TL.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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 Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.
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.