Large cornices are very unstable and can trigger big avalanches if they fall. Avoid all terrain below cornices
Weather Forecast
Freezing Levels will descend to 1,200m near town providing good overnight snowpack freezing at treeline and above. Sunshine during the morning followed by rain, at lower elevations, will soften and weaken the snowpack in the valley bottom. Up to 7cm of snow is forecast. The freezing level will rise to 2,150m and winds will be SW light to moderate.
Snowpack Summary
9cm of snow within the past 48 hrs with moderate SW winds building slab on lee alpine ridge lines. Melt freeze crust up to 2000m. Dryer surface snow on northerly aspects, above 2000m, over a solid mid-pack bridging the weak base. The bottom of the snowpack consists of weak facets and depth hoar mixed around the Nov rain crust.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed or reported.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable on Friday
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.
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.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.