Give recently wind-loaded slopes a wide berth.
Confidence
Fair - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Sunday
Weather Forecast
Expect light snowfall until late Saturday, when the next organised storm system brings 20-30cm snow with moderate to strong SW winds. The freezing level is expected to peak at around 1300m during this storm. Snow and wind should both gradually ease through Monday.
Avalanche Summary
Explosives and skiers triggered size 1 wind slabs on lee and cross-loaded terrain on Friday.
Snowpack Summary
New snow accompanied by strong S-SW winds is building wind slabs above a hard crust, which exists above about 1500 metres. (Below about 1500 m, the crust is breakable.) The new snow may have buried surface hoar on some slopes, possibly forming a poor bond.
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.