Cold nights and mornings making ice climbs brittle. Limit your exposure to over hanging hazards like daggers and pillars as they can break without notice.
Weather Forecast
Another cold night Thursday evening but we should see some tolerable temps over the day Friday as a new weather system moves in over the day friday bringing a welcome refresh of snow, possibly 5 to 10cms. Winds will pick up to moderate levels with some strong gusts from the south which will affect visibility at all elevations.
Snowpack Summary
Upper snowpack losing some support due to faceting in the upper pack, still overall it is a fairly good consistent mid-pack above 2000ms and still offering excellent quality touring and skiing. Dec 3rd interface is down approx. 45-60cm but it is not easily triggered. Below 1900ms the HS is more typical of the Rockies; weak and shallow.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche activity observed and reported
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain 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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.