Convective flurries keep giving us little amounts of snow which is nice. The sun may come out on Friday so pay close attention to the strength of solar radiation on more southern aspects.
Weather Forecast
Winds out of the NW are forecast to increase on Friday and temperatures are also supposed to cool down back to the -10C range. We will likely see a few cm of new snow via convective flurries also. The sky is forecast to be a mix of sun and cloud so pay attention to the affects of solar radiation on solar aspects.
Avalanche Summary
Loose dry sluffing up to sz 1 has been the only avalanche activity in the past 24hrs.
Snowpack Summary
Convective flurries continued overnight and throughout the day giving us another 5cm of snow. This is the overall theme at this time of year, convective flurries giving us 5-10cm every few days. Crusts dominate the solar aspects and make the skiing challenging while northern aspects are holding dry snow right down to the valley floor. Pockets of windslabs should be expected along ridgelines in the alpine as well as cornices are large and looming overhead of many slopes right now. Keep an eye on solar radiation. If the sun comes out, solar aspects will det'r quickly! Start earlier than normal
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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.