Natural avalanches and touchy conditions are still being reported, particularly at treeline. The alpine is also active with loose dry activity on solar aspects and a weak midpack trying to support recent loading from wind and snow.
Weather Forecast
Cool temperatures, with freezing levels remaining below 1000m for Wednesday then a gradual warming trend towards the weekend. Light Southwest wind, gusting to moderate. Light scattered flurries amounting to less than 5cm by Friday evening.
Snowpack Summary
Recent storm snow has formed new windslabs in the alpine and at treeline, mainly on North Easterly aspects below ridge crests. These slabs add load to a mainly weak and facetted midpack that has a layer of concern down about 60cm at an interface of facets and new snow.
Avalanche Summary
1 new natural slab avalanche noted in the Mt Diadem area - East aspect, 2100m. 80m wide, ran 50m, and appeared to be about 60-90cm deep, most likely sliding on facets and possibly decomposing surface hoar. Several loose dry slides to size 2.5 out of steep rocky terrain in the alpine, entraining mass especially where confined by terrain.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
Problems
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.
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.
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.