We are expecting some new snow this week which will bury a few layers in the snowpack that will likely become persistent problems.
Confidence
Moderate - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Tuesday
Weather Forecast
A slow change is coming here over the next few days. On monday about 5-10cm is expected to fall throughout the day and overnight then starting later in the day on Tuesday we can expected a slightly stronger system to cross the region and give us another 10-15cm. Long story short, this week we can expect to see 30cm of snow (hopefully) but its gonna still be windy and warm out of the SW.
Avalanche Summary
No new Natural avalanches were observed.
Snowpack Summary
Very little change out there these days. The strong chinook flow has continued to batter the snowpack in all open areas. I believe in some areas even dirt and rock are being moved around... Sun crusts on the solar aspects and facets and surface hoar on the more northern aspects where it hasnt been beaten down by the winds... When we do get some new now (expected later in the week) we are likely to have a few layer in the snowpack that will be an issue.
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.