Confidence
Fair - Due to variable snowpack conditions
Weather Forecast
Thursday: Moderate to strong NW to W winds. Alpine temp -9. No snow.Friday: Moderate to strong NW winds. Alpine temp -8. Light snow.Saturday: Light SW winds. Alpine temp -15. Light snow.
Avalanche Summary
Numerous size 1 sluffs and shallow natural wind slabs were observed on Sunday in the southern Elk Valley. On Monday, touchy small soft slabs were observed in the immediate lee of ridge crests.
Snowpack Summary
Recent dry snow has been transported by strong NW to W winds, creating wind slabs in some lee areas. Below this, the snowpack is reported to be well-settled. Below about 1400 m (or as high as 1800 m on some slopes), snowpack depth is below threshold for avalanches. Cornices have grown large in some areas.You may find a couple of layers of interest: A buried rain crust fizzles out at about 1800 m. A localized layer of surface hoar buried about 1 m down may still exist in sheltered pockets. At the base of the snowpack, a variable early November crust/facet layer exists. Recently, snowpack tests have shown hard results on this layer and no deep releases have been observed. It will remain in the back of our minds as a possible failure layer from thin snowpack trigger spots, or with very heavy snow loading or cornice fall.
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.