Cool night and daytime temperatures are aiding with overall stability. Be vigilant for poor bonding of windslab to underlying temperature crusts. Human triggered avalanches remain possible with this condition.
Weather Forecast
Sunday through to Tuesday will be scattered flurries, light North switching to E winds, minimal precipitation, cold overnight maintaining cool daytime temperatures with freezing levels rising only to 1050m.
Snowpack Summary
Windslabs on lee aspects of exposed ridgecrests above treeline are covered by 5-10cm of new snow. Below 2100m the new snow sits on temperature and sun crusts. Cornices are big. Several natural cornice falls have been observed over the past 72hrs. Melt freeze crust carries well in AM and maintains into the PM.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches reported, but several large cornice failures reported in the past 72hrs. Several of these cornice falls did trigger deep persistent slabs with crowns up to 1m, and some were observed to initiate more recent storm/wind slabs with a depth of 10-40cm.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable
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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.