Seasonal weather returns. The best riding will likely be on northerly aspects up high, but travel with caution, as a buried weak layer may still exist.
Weather Forecast
FRIDAY NIGHT: Increasing clouds, light south wind, freezing level 2300 m.SATURDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 2 to 5 cm, light southwest wind, alpine temperature -3 C, freezing level 1500 m.SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy with intermittent snowfall, trace accumulation, light southeast wind, alpine temperature -2 C, freezing level 1600 m.MONDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 5 cm, light south wind, alpine temperature -2 C, freezing level 1600 m.
Avalanche Summary
Many wet loose avalanches were observed between Sunday and Thursday. They were large (up to size 3), occurred on southeast to southwest aspects, and at all elevations. A persistent slab avalanche was also observed. It was triggered by a skier on a northeast aspect at 2300 m. It released within the faceted and hard wind-affected layer described in the snowpack summary. The wet avalanche cycle will diminish over the weekend as cooler and cloudier weather prevails.
Snowpack Summary
Below around 1500 m, the snow surface should remain wet on all aspects due to rain this weekend. Above around 1500 m, the weekend’s precipitation should fall as snow. The snow will overly a melt-freeze crust on all aspects up to 2000 m and to ridgetop on sun-exposed slopes. The new snow will fall onto previously dry snow and potentially surface hoar crystals on northerly aspects above 2000 m.The remainder of the snowpack is generally consolidated and strong. The exception is on northerly aspects above 2000 m, where a weak layer of faceted grains may still exist in combination with old and hard wind-affected snow. This layer is buried around 30 to 60 cm.
Problems
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.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.