Keep an eye out for pockets of small wind slabs and sluffing in steep, alpine terrain.
Weather Forecast
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Clear skies, light to moderate northeast wind, alpine temperature -10 C.THURSDAY: Clear skies, light northwest wind, alpine temperature -10 C.FRIDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 10 cm, moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature -11 C.SATURDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 1 to 3 cm, light southwest wind, alpine temperature -11 C.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed on Tuesday.
Snowpack Summary
Between 10 and 30 cm of low-density faceted snow sits on old hard surfaces including wind-affected snow and melt-freeze crusts. The low-density snow may sluff easily on these hard surfaces. Thin wind slabs may be found in the alpine. Moist snow may be found on steep south aspects when the sun is out.The lower snowpack is strong and settled.
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.