Wind slabs are reactive at higher elevations. Pay attention to changes in snow conditions and avoid areas where the snow feels stiff or slabby.
Confidence
Moderate - Freezing levels are uncertain on Wednesday
Weather Forecast
TUESDAY: Alpine sun and valley cloud, light northwest wind, alpine temperatures warming to -6 C.WEDNESDAY: Sunny with valley cloud, light wind, inversion forming with alpine temperatures possibly reaching above 0 C.THURSDAY: Sunny with valley cloud, light wind, inversion with freezing level up to 3000 m.
Avalanche Summary
Avalanche activity has tapered off following last week's storms. A few small natural avalanches were reported on Sunday, mostly size 1-1.5 loose dry avalanches in the surface snow. On Saturday, explosive control in the Monashees produced a size 3 avalanche on a wind-loaded northeast ridge that scoured down to the late November crust. No recent human-triggered avalanches have been reported, but remain possible on specific terrain features such as wind-loaded slopes.
Snowpack Summary
Snow from last week's storms is settling and getting redistributed into fresh wind slabs by northwest winds. Roughly 30-60 cm of recent snow sits above various crusts from the warm weather in late November. Reports suggest the snow is bonding to the crusts so far, but there's potential for this layer to develop into a problem in the future. Snow depths decrease rapidly below treeline, where the primary hazards are rocks, stumps, and open creeks.
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.