Its a unique time out there right now. The lack of our typical winds has left 50cm's of snow out there just waiting for some wind transport. Pay attention to changing weather patterns. Its a good time to stay in the trees and avoid the big terrain.
Confidence
Fair - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain
Weather Forecast
Snow will taper tonight and tomorrow with another pulse coming through Thursday evening. Amounts are expected to be about 6cm's, however local amounts may be higher as was the case today. Treeline winds will be in the 20km/hr range with valley bottoms staying calmer with light winds. The temperatures are expected to stay similar to today's. A high of -8.
Avalanche Summary
Some small loose dry avalanches were seen out of steep cliffs today. Very poor visibility prevented any worthwhile observations in the Alpine.
Snowpack Summary
15-20cm's of low density snow overnight on the Spray. This leaves us with 50cm's of new snow that has yet to see any wind. There is a suncrust down 15 cm's, but the new snow appears to be well bonded. The various interfaces throughout the upper 100cm's had no significant weakness at our location (sheltered area at treeline). The Feb 10th layer is now down 130 at treeline. Tests today had results that were all over the map. Results varied from a Compression Test Hard result to a Deep Tap Test with easy results. Overall snow depth at treeline is 160cm.
Problems
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.
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.