WIth up to 40cm of new snow over the last week the turns are better than they have been in a long time. Avalanche danger will increase as temperatures and SW winds increase on Wed. Paying attention to the changing conditions will be important.
Weather Forecast
The arctic air will hang around on Tue keeping things cold, dry and only light NE winds. The westerly flow will return on Wednesday and temperatures will start to warm up and strong SW winds. Avalanche activity could increase dramatically with the rise in temperatures and winds.
Snowpack Summary
Another upslope event added 10-15 to the 20cm we received last week. The recent storm came in with mod NE winds creating slabs on W to S slopes. These could be sitting on old windslabs or very slick suncrusts. In sheltered places there is up to 40cm on the Feb 14 crust. Easy sluffing of this new snow was observed in the summit are on Monday.
Avalanche Summary
The new snow has been sluffing out of steep terrain but there has been no evidence of any deeper avalanches.
Confidence
Freezing levels are uncertain
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.