http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/scond/cond_e.asp?oid=30728&opark=100092Avoid avalanche terrain. A natural cycle is producing results up to size 3.5 and running into valley bottoms.
Weather Forecast
Though I won't be skiing today I still managed to get face shots while driving to work with 40cm on the closed highway. Light snow for today, 15km/hr gusting to 70km/hr winds from the east and temps to remain around -3. Tomorrow will mark the start of a prolonged high pressure system, temps and wind will drop and the skies will clear.
Snowpack Summary
40cm of low density snow overnight adds to the weekly total of 155cm, with a two week total of 270cm. The mid Dec and Jan persistent weak layers are now buried 150-200cm in the snowpack with a height of snow of 350cm at 1900m. Expect to find reactive storm slab and pockets of wind slab above tree line into the alpine.
Avalanche Summary
Numerous size 2 - 2.5 natural avalanches seen along the highway corridor yesterday. Sluff was moving fast and traveling far in steep trees yesterday but had no slab properties.Artillery avalanche control is producing numerous large avalanches up to size 3.5 (possibly 4.0) which have buried the highway in several locations.
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.
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.
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.