Relatively light amounts of new snow may form wind slabs behind exposed features. These could become touchy if they are kissed by the sun on south aspect slopes.
Weather Forecast
SUNDAY: Clearing following some light snow overnight. Winds northeasterly around 40 km/h. Treeline temperatures around -8C.MONDAY: Dry and sunny. Winds northeasterly 30 km/h. Temperatures around -10C.TUESDAY: Dry and sunny. Winds northeasterly 30 km/h. Temperatures around -12C.
Avalanche Summary
Early on Friday a few natural slab avalanches to size 2 were reported in storm snow above 1900 m. Explosive control was able to release similar avalanches.
Snowpack Summary
Between Monday and Friday, 70-100 cm of storm snow accumulated in the region. Below the new snow from this week lies the Boxing Day interface which consisted of wind affected surfaces, faceted (sugary) snow, or surface hoar. Recent observations suggest the overlying snow is generally well bonded to this interface. Recent weaknesses in the snowpack have been isolated to storm snow interfaces. Recent strong winds have been from a variety of directions and have been loading leeward and cross loaded features in wind exposed terrain. The mid-December interface is now down 100-150 cm and is generally considered to be stable in this region.
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.