The winds have yet to arrive which seems so rare! Watch for pockets of skier triggerable wind slabs along ridgelines, mainly on N and E aspects. Good skiing in sheltered areas!
Weather Forecast
A mix of sun and cloud is expected on Monday. Precipitation: Nil. Alpine temperature: High -9 C. Ridge wind west: 30 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.
Avalanche Summary
A few sz 2 avalanches were observed in steep E facing alpine terrain failing 30-50cm deep. Some may have been triggerred by loose sluffing from above. One noteable sz 2.5 avalanche was seen on the E face of Snow Peak that may have been triggerred by a cornice collapse and occurred within the past 24-48hrs. The depth on this slide was estimated to be at least 50cm deep, 100m wide and ran an unknown distance.
Snowpack Summary
A few additional cm of new snow overnight and generally light winds except above 2900m where some snow transport was observed. So far the upper snowpack is continuing to settle and we are not seeing any results on the Nov CRs. A weak layer of facetted crystals is being observed below the Halloween crust that is continuing to produce moderate to hard results deeper in the snowpack. In alpine terrain you should expect to encounter pocket of windslabs 30-50cm thick along ridgelines, below cliff faces and along cross loaded slopes. Use caution in these areas.
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.