The early season conditions still present a considerable risk, be careful of rocks and stumps that are lurking under the snow surface. The danger could increase with new snow on Friday night, especially if we receive more than the 5 cm forecast.
Weather Forecast
A cold front forecast to pass over the area in Friday night will drop temperatures and bring some precipitation. Ahead of the front there could be some rain but as the temperatures drop there could be up to 10 cm of new snow. . Winds should die down and switch to the northeast with the passing of the front.
Snowpack Summary
Extreme SW winds over the last 24 hrs and warm temps have created hard slabs with the remainder of the snow from earlier this week. Gullies and wind loaded features have a series of windslabs with all wind exposed slopes scoured. The Faceted Crystals associated with the Nov Crusts are buried 50 to 70 cm, a weak layer that remains of interest.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche activity has been observed.
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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.