Following an active week for avalanche activity, cooling this weekend should slow things down. With luck, a bit of snowfall could freshen things up. Snow removal has begun on the Cameron Lake Road although the barriers remain in place.
Weather Forecast
Friday will bring a return of the strong west winds for the period with freezing levels reaching 2500m following a poor recovery overnight. The clouds that develop Friday will precede a cold front dropping down the West side of the divide Saturday that should bring cooling and up to 10cm of snow above 1900m. Cool temps and cloud will persist Sunday
Snowpack Summary
Early this week, W and N winds created widespread wind slabs Treeline and above with the 20cm of snow that fell this weekend. This snow sits on a solid crust found everywhere but above 2400m on N aspects. New surface crusts have formed everywhere but above 2400m on N aspects and widespread loose dry and wet activity has affected snow surfaces.
Avalanche Summary
Loose dry activity to sz 2 started early this week. As temperatures climbed Tuesday through Thursday, loose wet activity to ridgetops could be seen on all but alpine shaded slopes to sz 1.5. Some significant slab avalanches and cornice failures to sz 2.5 have been seen along ridgecrests faces in alpine and high treeline terrain.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
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.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.