With surface faceting softening the upper snowpack, some surprisingly good skiing can be found if you can avoid surface crusts. Remember to keep terrain choices conservative as triggering the Persistent Weak Layer remains a possibility for travelers
Weather Forecast
We will remain under the influence of the SW flow for the period with warm moist air trying to override the cooler air on the prairies. Clouds and trace precip are likely near the divide. By Friday a warm front associated with a low approaching the coast will bring an increase in the freezing level, stronger winds and potentially some precipitation
Snowpack Summary
Generally, with the current drought conditions the upper snowpack is faceting. Windslabs overlying softer snow are the primary surface concern. In the midpack, the Dec 13 crust is now 60 to 120cm deep and remains a serious concern as it produces planar shears within the facets above the crust. Surface crusts affect ski quality.
Avalanche Summary
Despite seeing very little activity over the last few days we observed a significant slab about 40m wide, 80 to 100 cm deep on steep north facing cliffy terrain near ridge top. This slab likely failed on the Dec 13 persistent weak layer although it may have been triggered by a smaller slab and illustrates the need for care with this layer.
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.
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.