Cold temperatures are still with us. Be smart with your back country choices. Even a small emergency can quickly become very serious with these climatic conditions.
Weather Forecast
After another night of -30, Sunday should eventually see temperatures near -15 for a high. A mix of sun and cloud is expected with light winds. Some forecasts are calling for very light flurries Monday and Tuesday, and continued cold for the next few days.
Avalanche Summary
No avalanche activity observed or reported today.
Snowpack Summary
A steady N to NW wind today contributed to some further wind slab development in the Alpine, potentially on all aspects, but these slabs are expected to be fairly thin. With the persistent frigid temperatures the snowpack continues to facet and loose strength. In thicker snowpack areas, the midpack is hanging on to some strength and is still bridging over the weak basal layers, but its a good idea to keep this very weak base in mind. Though a full-depth avalanche is unlikely, if it does occur it will be catastrophic. Large triggers, such as a cornice failure, or triggering from a shallow snowpack area, are possible ways to wake up the deep persistent weak layer.
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.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.