Status quo out there in the land of K-Country. The drought persists and no significant snowfall is forecast. Climbers and skiers still need to watch out for the loose dry avalanche issue when venturing out onto the bigger slopes and tight gulleys.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number and quality of field observations
Weather Forecast
Mainly cloudy for wednesday with light flurries. Winds will be out the west 30km/h with gusts to 50km/h. Freezing levels at valley bottom.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed - expect sluffing of the recrystallized facets in the upper snowpack to react to ski traffic.
Snowpack Summary
Minor wind effect observed in the alpine. Northerly winds have stripped snow off of north aspects and re-distributed on southerly aspects. The upper 3rd of the snowpack is completely facetted out at all aspects and elevations apart from areas of wind slabs in the immediate lee of ridgetop.
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 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.