5cm of snow throughout the day giving us 18-20cm of new snow at treeline and above. Thin touchy storm slabs are being encountered in Alpine areas and making thin weak areas tougher to see. The skiing is improving but still a ways to go yet!
Weather Forecast
No new snow is forecast for the weekend but some much needed new snow is expected on Monday! The weekend is still looking dry and cloudy though with some light scattered flurries and temperatures around -14 at treeline.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche observations were seen. Field teams spent the majority of the day in the Ghost working on a rescue scenario.
Snowpack Summary
Thin touchy storm slabs are building in Alpine terrain with the recent storm snow. These slabs are overlying the previous hard slabs that developed earlier in the week. Thin weak areas surround the lens of hard slabs making them tougher to locate. Wide propagations are likely due to the stiff nature of the overlying slab.
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.
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.