Thin pockets of fresh windslab may be found at higher elevations and directly in the lee of terrain features. Rising freezing levels and periods of strong solar radiation may increase the likelihood of cornice falls.
Weather Forecast
Cloudy overnight with light–moderate northwest winds and freezing levels down to valley bottoms. Mix of sun and cloud on Sunday with light westerly winds and freezing levels rising up to about 2100 metres. Mix of sun and cloud on Monday with a chance of light flurries in the morning and strong southwest winds in the afternoon.
Avalanche Summary
Thin windslabs continue to be triggered up to size 1.5 near ridgetops in the alpine. One cornice failure was reported that released a pocket of windslab below that was 35 cm deep and size 1.5.
Snowpack Summary
Roughly 5-10 cm of recent storm snow adds to the variable amounts of dry facetted snow on top of the mid-February crust with associated buried surface hoar in sheltered areas, or, more recent melt-freeze crusts on sun-exposed slopes. The late-Jan crust/surface hoar layer can be found about a metre below the surface in deeper snowpack areas. The mid-January surface hoar, can be found below that. These layers have gained significant strength, and chances of triggering these weaknesses have decreased dramatically. However, triggering may be possible with a large input such as cornice fall, or an avalanche stepping down, especially on slopes that see a lot of sun.
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.