Snow-loading has been incremental, keeping the avalanche hazard elevated in the alpine. Keep your head on a swivel and minimize exposure to large, overhead avalanche paths.
Weather Forecast
Scattered flurries, moderate ridge-top winds, and freezing levels near valley bottom today. A juicy cold front is forecasted to push through on Thursday, bringing a quick pulse of precipitation, high winds, and a spike in freezing levels.
Snowpack Summary
35cm of new storm snow. Upper meter is settling. Mid to lower snow pack is rounding out and becoming more settled. The Dec. 8 surface hoar/facet layer, down 90cm, is mostly unreactive in snowpack tests. The Nov. 28 surface hoar layer, down ~125cm, is still well preserved in certain areas and is giving hard sudden planar results.
Avalanche Summary
Numerous size 1.5 to 2.5 slab and loose avalanches were observed from steeper start zones in the western portion of the park yesterday. In the eastern portion, several size 2-3 avalanches were observed from steep terrain on Tupper and MacDonald.
Confidence
Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain
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.
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.
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.