New snow may not bond well to the older snow surface, especially in wind-loaded terrain. Choose your lines carefully and avoid exposure to terrain traps.
Weather Forecast
Monday: 5-10 cm overnight then cloudy with sunny breaks and a chance of flurries. The freezing level rises to around 1200-1400 m during the day. Ridge winds are moderate or strong from the W-NW, easing to light during the day. Tuesday: Increasing cloud with flurries developing. The freezing level is around 1400 m and winds ease to light. Wednesday: Cloudy with light snow. The daytime freezing level is steady near 1400 m and winds remain light.
Avalanche Summary
Recent avalanche activity has included isolated natural wind slabs to size 2, loose wet sluffs or pinwheeling on steep sun-exposed slopes, and isolated natural cornice failures. In some cases the cornice falls triggered small slabs below. There was one report of a size 1 skier-triggered wind slab on a NW aspect at treeline on Saturday. This avalanche was just north of Wells.
Snowpack Summary
25-40 cm of new storm snow sits on a crust on solar aspects and lower elevation terrain, and surface hoar on shady and sheltered slopes. A couple sun crusts might exist in the top 50 cm on southerly aspects. New wind slabs will continue to develop with forecast snowfall and moderate northwest-southwest winds in the alpine. The surface hoar and/or crust layer which was buried February 10 is now down 70-100cm but triggering this layer has become unlikely. Large cornices have recently been a concern but should also gain strength will colder temperatures.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.