We've hit an unusually stable period for late February! Remember that "low" hazard doesn't mean no hazard. Small avalanches are still possible in extreme terrain or isolated areas.
Weather Forecast
The alpine over night low will be -18 with light winds. Tomorrow will be a mix of sun and cloud. Alpine highs will be around -9 with a light north wind. No snow is expected. Freezing levels are predicted to be at valley bottom, but with the sun we can expect localized areas to have a higher freezing level.
Avalanche Summary
No activity today
Snowpack Summary
A few more cm's last night have added to the week's totals. Light winds last night have blown the new snow around creating insignificant storm slabs and exposing the underlying layers in many places. The alpine has variable wind slab distribution at the moment. In sheltered areas at treeline, there is an average of 20cm's on top of the Feb 16th crust. The crust itself has begun to break down with the cold temps. In most areas it does not effect the ski quality. The buried windslabs are well bonded and sit on top of depth hoar and facets. There are no changes below treeline, and no avalanche concerns at the moment.
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.