We are expecting some much needed snow tomorrow. As it is now, the skiing is challenging in most places due to the warm weather.
Confidence
Fair - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain
Weather Forecast
Convective flurries will hopefully bring as much as 11cm tomorrow. The ridge winds that we experienced today are expected to decrease and settle to low values by tomorrow. The direction will swing around to the NE. The temperatures will remain consistent with the last few days. Alpine highs could reach -4,and freezing level will be around 1700m. Skies should be cloudy for most of the day.
Avalanche Summary
No new activity today.
Snowpack Summary
Yesterday's afternoon high reached +5 at valley bottom. This made the crust even thicker, and slightly more supportive. It is still breakable in most areas. We have also seen a spike in the winds recently. Snow transport was visible at treeline and alpine, however slab development is only isolated and at the moment not very touchy. Very few changes otherwise. The Jan31 is down up to a meter at treeline and the deep layers are lingering st the very bottom. In general travel is not the greatest. There are a few sheltered areas at treeline that can offer good snow still, but for the most part the skiing is challenging.
Problems
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.
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.