Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Freezing levels are uncertainfor the entire period

Sunday: 15cm of snow arriving late in the day and into early monday morning / strong southerly windsMonday: 5cm of snow / moderate to strong southwest windsTuesday: 5cm of snow / moderate to strong southwest windsFreezing levels are highly uncertain for the forecast period. While some models are saying 650m for the entire period, other models are saying 1500m. Stay tuned.

No new observations from this region.

Strong winds have been the biggest story recently. Exposed windward slopes have been scoured and wind slabs have formed in lee terrain and may be susceptible to human triggering. In the mid-snowpack there is now around 70cms of snow sitting on a surface hoar/crust/facet combo which is the result of the early December dry spell. This crust is widespread and exists in most start zones up to 2000m. Facets can reportedly be found above or below the crust. Prior to being buried, the surface hoar was destroyed by high winds in the alpine, but still coexists with the crust at treeline and below. This interface has been gaining significant strength. Recent tests have produced hard yet sudden collapse results which indicate that it has not gone away. The over-riding slab may still react to a rider trigger, especially in steeper, unsupported terrain features.Beneath this the lower snowpack is well settled and strong.Expect continued wind and storm slab development with forecast wind and snow