Recently formed storm slabs are sensitive to natural and human triggering. The Dec 4th weak layer will be one to watch for some time to come. Conservative route selection is in order.
Weather Forecast
Thursday will be mainly cloudy with isolated flurries. Alpine temperatures should reach a high -6 °C. Ridge-top winds will be out of the south at 20-35 km/h. Friday and Saturday will bring a slight cooling trend.
Avalanche Summary
Several small loose dry avalanches were observed today mostly in steep Alpine terrain. Observation were somewhat limited due to limited visibility.
Snowpack Summary
12 to 15cm of new snow in the past 24hrs brings storm snow totals up to 35 to 45cm. The Dec 4th interface of surface hoar, sun crust and facets is very sensitive to snowpack stability tests indicating a high likelihood of human triggering. Storm slabs sitting on the Dec 4th interface are found in lee and cross-loaded terrain at Treeline and above.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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 Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.