Watch for solar input if the sun comes out today; start and finish your day early. Expect challenging skiing below treeline. Watch for windslabs in the alpine!
Weather Forecast
Another mixed bag of weather today, which has been the norm recently. We may see some sun, rain at lower elevations, snow up high, and a risk of thunderstorms this afternoon. Ridge winds are expected to be SW and nudging into moderate values. Thursday looks a little drier than today, but flurries are still in the forecast.
Snowpack Summary
Reactive wind slabs overlie a well settled mid and lower snowpack in the alpine on polar aspects. A weak melt freeze crust is capping isothermal snow on all aspects to tree line; surface crusts will exist at higher elevations on solar aspects. Recent storm snow has been shedding easily over the past few days as loose and slab avalanches.
Avalanche Summary
One new MIN report of a size 2 slab avalanche on Mt Leda yesterday. Numerous loose and slab avalanches to size 2.5 have been observed in the alpine on all aspects over the past few days; including Video, Cheops, 8812, Grizzly, Catamount, Bagheera, and up the Asulkan valley.
Confidence
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.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.