Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 3rd, 2013 9:52AM
The alpine rating is Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs and Deep Persistent Slabs.
, the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems includeSummary
Confidence
Fair - Due to limited field observations
Weather Forecast
Monday: Expect lingering clouds and light variable winds with alpine temperatures reaching -6. No precipitation.Tuesday & Wednesday: Some weak disturbances may penetrate inland to give isolated snowshowers with limited accumulations. Winds should remain light and southerly and temperatures should reach -5 each afternoon.
Avalanche Summary
Isolated windslabs up to size 2.0 have been controlled at ridgecrest and loose wet sluffing has been observed below 1200m due to the persistent warm temperatures.
Snowpack Summary
Touchy wind slabs have built on lee slopes and behind terrain features likes ribs and ridges. Up to 50 cm of new snow has buried a variety of old surfaces including old wind slabs, scoured thin slopes, crusts and surface hoar. This interface has shown isolated reactivity to rider triggering, especially around treeline and below treeline elevations. Warmer temperatures have promoted some settlement and consolidated the recent snow into slab-like characteristics. With little observations from the field it's hard to get a good handle on how widespread this layer is, so I would stress the importance of digging down to find and test weak layers. A cautious and curious approach is critical.The average snowpack depth at treeline is near 100 cm but remains quite inconsistent across the region. A strong mid-pack currently overlies a weak base layer of facets/depth hoar. Triggering of this basal weakness may still be possible from thin spots, rocky outcrops or under the weight of larger triggers such as cornice fall.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Persistent Slabs
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Deep Persistent Slabs
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 4th, 2013 2:00PM