Good skiing can be found in sheltered areas following the strong winds on Saturday night. Keep an eye out for wind slab development as a result of these winds, and keep checking the bond around the Oct 26 crust if you venture into bigger terrain.
Weather Forecast
Clear weather is expected for the next couple days with light to moderate SW winds. Overnight lows of -12 to -14C with daytime highs of -2 to -4C at treeline.
Snowpack Summary
15-30 cm of recent storm snow. Wind effect at treeline and above scouring exposed ridge crests and building wind slabs in the alpine, especially in our eastern forecast regions. The Oct 26 crust is roughly 30 cm above the ground with facets above and below it. It is present up to 2800m on shady aspects, and at higher elevations on solar aspects.
Avalanche Summary
Several explosive triggered wind slabs up to size 2.5 were reported today at the Sunshine ski area following moderate to strong NW winds overnight. These failed on the October 26 crust and ran a long distance. Natural activity has been minimal in the last couple days with some wind triggered sluffs in steep terrain and isolated smaller slabs.
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.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.