Pockets of windslab are still lurking in the alpine, be cautious as you approach ridgetop.
Weather Forecast
The Arctic ridge that has parked over the region will keep the weather cold and clear. Alpine high for today is forecasted to be a chilly -19 deg. 20 kph winds from the east will make it feel much colder up high. Watch your partners for frostbite!! The good news is that we can expect slightly warmer temps & a few cms of new snow over the weekend
Snowpack Summary
On glaciers and at ridgetop wind effected snow exists. Snow profiles have shown 70-80 cm of storm snow settling very slowly and facetting due to cold temps. Tests show reactive shears within the storm snow and the older buried layers of windslab. The Nov 13 crust, down 1 - 1.5 m is reacting in the hard range to deep tap tests.
Avalanche Summary
While most natural activity has tapered off with the cold temp's and calm winds, evidence of a recent widespread avalanche cycle is visible throughout the park. These slabs failed from rapid loading during the storm, were 50cm deep & running to near valley-bottom.
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.