Confidence
Fair - Intensity of incoming weather is uncertain on Tuesday
Weather Forecast
Tuesday: Moderate SE winds. Alpine temp -9. Light snow.Wednesday: Light W winds. Alpine temp -8. A few cm snow.Thursday: Light SW winds. Alpine temp -7. No precipitation.
Avalanche Summary
A skier is reported to have triggered a size 2.5 slab on Saturday on a wind-loaded SW aspect at treeline in the Duffey lake area. Soft slabs and fast running loose dry avalanches were also failing naturally over the weekend.
Snowpack Summary
New wind slabs have developed lee to both SE and down-valley winds. Apart from a couple of strengthening storm snow weaknesses, the snowpack is generally well-settled. Surface hoar layers in the upper/mid snowpack appear to be gaining strength but still exhibit hard, sudden results in snowpack tests. Near the base of the snowpack, a crust/facet layer appears to be inactive. Although unlikely, triggering an avalanche on this layer may be possible from thin snowpack areas or with a very heavy trigger.
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.