No significant change in conditions for today, and probably the rest of the week-end. It is still early season out there, expect variable ski conditions.
Weather Forecast
Trave precip and cloudy skies over the next two days. Ridge winds will be moderate tomorrow, but slow down as the day goes on. The temperatures will hover around -12 all day Saturday. Sunday's weather will be much the same. Monday we might get some flurries, but no real change in the temps or winds.
Avalanche Summary
Nothing new from the past couple of days.
Snowpack Summary
Not a lot of change out there in the last couple of days. Some trace snow yesterday and today has added some snow depth, but not enough to add load or create any new problems. Speaking of problems, windslabs are taking over as our number 1 consideration. They will be found near ridges, but won't extend too far down slope. The deep persistent weakness is our other consideration. This layer is made up of weak facets and lies very close to the ground, if not on it.
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.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.