20cm of storm snow has improved ski quality over a supportive crust at tree line and above.
Weather Forecast
Expect 5-15cm of new snow Tuesday evening into Wednesday afternoon with light winds from the east, eventually switching to the west. Thursday will be mix of sun and cloud with a high of -3 and low of -7 degrees. Friday will be variable clouds with slightly cooler temperatures. Light west winds will persist Wednesday to Friday.
Snowpack Summary
20cm of storm snow sits on top of a 10cm thick laminated crust (Nov 11) at tree line, below the crust is 20-30cm of moist snow to ground. Pockets of wind slab exist in the alpine and may rest on a crust where it is expected to exist up to 2600m. Below tree line is un-skiable due to lack of snow, early season conditions exist at all elevations.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanche activity. Field team observed no signs of instability today in the Parker Ridge area.
Confidence
Due to the quality of field observations on Tuesday
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.