Good skiing in sheltered low angle locations
Weather Forecast
A westerly flow over the park with minimal snow expected over the next 72 hours. On Friday an approaching low may bring snow for the weekend. Freezing levels will remain at valley bottom elevations with alpine temperatures reaching highs of -9 and lows of -15. Winds will remain light and westerly.
Snowpack Summary
30cm of storm snow has formed soft slabs in lee features on a buried crust. Down 40-60cm the crust can be found between 2100-2600m on all aspects and will be a layer of concern as the snow load increases. In many areas this storm snow remains unaffected by the wind and offers good skiing. The status quo will remain for a few days longer.
Avalanche Summary
In the Parker area 2 new avalanches from wind effected treeline and the alpine terrain. These wind slab avalanches were size 2 and 1.5 from steeper terrain. The smaller event was triggered by a group of skiers from 25m away on a west facing slope at 2300m. The other from a NE moraine band at 2100m. Loose snow point releases seen from rocks.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality 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.