Conservative decision making is key right now. Forecasters are still avoiding large overhead terrain that hasn't released. When the sun comes out, stability can decrease quickly, especially on solar aspects.
Confidence
High - Due to the number and quality of field observations
Weather Forecast
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries.Precipitation: Trace.Alpine temperature: High -7 °C.Ridge wind southwest: 20 km/h.Freezing level: 1600 metres.
Avalanche Summary
A few loose dry avalanches up to sz 1 were observed out of steep unskiable terrain on Saturday. No new slab avalanche activity was observed.
Snowpack Summary
10-15cm overnight on Friday and another 4-5cm of snow throughout the day on Saturday combined with moderate westerly winds at higher elevations is creating new windslabs along ridgelines and in crossloaded features in alpine and treeline terrain. These new windslabs are overlying a settled midpack that is overlying a very weak facetted base in most areas. Thin weak areas are the likely areas where one may trigger the deeper instabilities and cause a large destructive avalanche. Natural avalanche activity has began to taper off but many slopes are still primed for a large avalanche. Use caution around terrain that has not yet released.
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.