The snowpack as a whole has stabilized with the current weather pattern. Remember that terrain still plays apart in traveling safely. Assess steep alpine terrain carefully, especially if it is thin and unsupported.
Weather Forecast
We are expecting a few cm's starting tomorrow. Right now we have 7cm on the forecast. This won't be enough to raise the hazard significantly, however it might freshen up the skiing slightly. As Tuesday comes to an end, an arctic high will move in to replace the warm air. The winds will shift to the north and temperatures will fall to -17 at 1800m. As the clouds disappear, so will any chance of new snow.
Avalanche Summary
nothing new
Snowpack Summary
The consistent temperatures have allowed the snowpack to settle even more. At Burstall Pass the current height of snow is 79cm. That's down from 87 yesterday. At the moment the alpine is still showing the effects of the recent wind event. Hardslab is widespread in most gullied terrain. Windward aspects are mostly stripped bare of snow. We have had atleast one report of thin, poorly bonded hardslabs in steep alpine terrain. The same hardslabs can be found at the upper reaches of treeline. Crossloaded terrain and immediate lee terrain is very likely to have the windslab problem. Below treeline, not a lot has changed. The height of snow has come down to 63cms (on the Spray Rd) with a distinct settlement layer on top. Basal facetting and surface facetting is the prevalent process within the snowpack right now.
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.