It is time to carry avalanche safety gear when heading out into the mountains. Our field observations are limited, but the current avalanche problems deserve attention.
Weather Forecast
Sunday will be mostly overcast with cool temps ranging between -17 and -11 Celsius. Winds will be generally light from the SE. Cool temperatures will prevail for at least the start of the week.
Avalanche Summary
No avalanches today, but observations were very limited.
Snowpack Summary
The early season snowpack is still very shallow with lots of buried hazards. Snow depths at 2200m range from 30 to 60cm deep. 10 to 20cm of more recent snow overlies a crust formed in late October. This crust sits about 25cm above the ground and in some areas it is supportive to skier traffic. At higher elevations wind slabs are present and may be sensitive to human triggering in steeper terrain. Watch for these slabs just below ridge crests and in gully features.
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.
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.