Despite the lack of natural activity, the deep basal weakness is still a concern on northerly alpine features. The probability of triggering a slide is low but the consequences remain high
Confidence
Good - The weather pattern is stable
Weather Forecast
Still no new precipitation in the foreseeable future. Skies will be mainly clear with slowly rising temperatures and winds. Daytime highs will be in the -15 degree range with overnight lows continuing to drop below -20 deg C.
Avalanche Summary
No new observed or reported.
Snowpack Summary
No change - surface facetting taking place. Sun crusts are still present at all elevations on solar exposed aspects. Terrain in the alpine and treeline elevation zones are highly variable with tregards to snowcover and conditon but wind slabs definitely dominate the landscape. The deep basal weaknesses remain in place!
Problems
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.