Our once solid snowpack has lost the bulk of its original strength. If an avalanche does start, expect it to run far and fast as it entrains the loose snow.
Confidence
Moderate - Wind speed and direction is uncertain on Tuesday
Weather Forecast
Mainly cloudy tomorrow with isolated flurries. No accumulation is expected from these flurries. It seems the inversion we've been experiencing lately has moved on. Tomorrow's alpine high is -8. The alpine winds will pick up slightly and hover around 40km/hr at ridge top.
Avalanche Summary
No field trip today, but suspect no natural avalanches.
Snowpack Summary
Another day of clear skies with a big variation in temperatures. The cold temperatures are weakening the snow pack more every day. The below treeline snowpack is still supportive, but we are seeing depth hoar near the ground. Shallow areas are particularly weak and bottomless. Treeline has kept a lot of its support while walking on skis, but shallow areas are weak and behave more like the traditional Rockies snowpack. The windslabs have begun to lose strength and in many places have facetted out. The alpine is generally wind affected with windslabs in immediate lee areas. The deeper layers have facetted and are getting weaker.
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.