Stiff wind slabs may continue to be reactive to human triggers at upper elevations.
Weather Forecast
THURSDAY NIGHT: 5 cm of new snow. Alpine temperatures near -10 and ridgetop winds light from the northeast.FRIDAY: Cloudy with snow amounts 5-7 cm. Alpine temperatures near -12 and ridgetop winds moderate from the northeast.SATURDAY: A mix of sun and cloud. Alpine temperatures near -8 and ridgetop winds moderate from the northeast. SUNDAY: Sunny with alpine temperatures near -12. Ridgetop winds mostly light from the northeast with strong gusts.
Avalanche Summary
On Wednesday, few small pockets of wind slab were easily triggered by the weight of a skier up to size 2 in the alpine.
Snowpack Summary
Alpine terrain is heavily wind affected to varying degrees on all aspects. The 40-50 cm of new snow from last weekend has been redistributed initially by strong southwesterly winds and now northerly outflow winds forming reactive pockets of wind slab. This sits on a crust on all aspects except north and possibly a mixture of weak feathery surface hoar or sugary facets in isolated sheltered terrain at treeline and below which hasn't shown much reactivity.The remainder of the snowpack is generally well-settled.
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.