Despite a slight improvement in the hazard level, the weak and shallow snowpack deserves vigilance. Dig into the snowpack frequently to assist with terrain decisions.
Weather Forecast
Sunday should be a relatively mild day with temperatures near -5 in the Alpine and moderate winds from the West. There is no new snow n the forecast until at least Thursday.
Avalanche Summary
One size 2.0 to 2.5 naturally triggered slab was observed on the East aspect of Snow Peak at approximately 2700m. This avalanche occurred in the past 24hrs and possibly triggered by a cornice failure.
Snowpack Summary
The snowpack settled a bit yesterday with the warm temperatures. Wind slabs are widespread in the Alpine and at Treeline. The depth and sensitivity of these slabs is widely variable across the forecast region, and it is worth digging into the snowpack often to evaluate this avalanche problem. The bottom half of the snowpack is very weak consisting primarily of facets. This condition will persist over the long term, which means that any avalanche that occurs could step down to these weak basal layers causing a very large avalanche.
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.