Generally stable conditions. 20 to 30cm of storm snow has fallen on top of previous windslabs. This may disguise avalanche conditions. Feel around with your poles for these buried slabs.
Weather Forecast
The morning clouds are forecast to break up and dissipate, and little or no precipitation is forcast for today. Fairly clear skies overnight will give way to increasing cloudiness for Saturday morning bringing another light snowfall.
Snowpack Summary
Recent storm snow has fallen on a buried wind slab in the alpine, which rests on a well settled mid-pack.� The Nov. 28 and Nov. 16 crust-surface hoar layers, and the Nov. 6 crust can all be found in profiles, but are not very reactive in tests.� There is substantial variation in snow depth depending on elevation and aspect.
Avalanche Summary
Very little avalanche activity has been observed in the past few days.� Avalanches which have been observed are mostly from steep alpine start zones affected by wind and some sluffing below cornices on steep N and E aspects.� Wind affected and cross loaded features, and thin areas are most likely to produce human triggered avalanches.
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.
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.
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.