Moderate to strong northeast winds will carry the new snow and continue the formation of leeward wind slabs, particularly in the alpine.
Approach leeward slopes and crosswind slopes with caution.
The moderate northeasterly wind, which arrived earlier than expected, had already begun to form wind slabs on Saturday in the Mount Albert alpine. With the wind set to intensify and snow still available for transport, we can expect to encounter reactive wind slabs in the start zones, under convexities and in cross-loading zones.
Several small natural avalanches (size 0.5) of dry loose snow and a small wind slab avalanche (size 0.5) observed in the extreme terrain of the Patrouilleurs wall.
Small wind slab avalanche (size 0.5) accidentally triggered by a skier in the Benny couloir on Mont Albert.
If you go into the backcountry, thanks for sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
In the alpine region, the new snow (around 10-12 cm) have been wind blown and covers a wide range of wind-affected snow, or a crust. There is significantly more snow on the southern and eastern slopes. North and west-facing slopes are mostly free of snow, apart from couloirs and other depressions.
At and below the treeline, in areas protected from the wind, 15 to 25 cm of low-density snow cover a layer of dense snow. The latter rests on 2 to 10 cm of facetted that have developed on top of the New Year's Day melt-freeze layer. At these elevations, the best snow is found on the northern slopes.
The average height of the snowpack is approximately 100 cm, but varies greatly according to aspect and elevation.
Synopsis: Still under the effect of a high-pressure ridge on Sunday.
Saturday evening and night: A few clouds. Wind northeast, 20 to 40 km/h. Low -15.
Sunday: Sunny. Wind northeast, 30 to 50 km/h. High -11
Monday: Alternating sun and clouds, light snow. Strong northeast wind. High -12.
Tuesday: Sunny. Light northeast wind. High -7.
For more details, check out the most recent alpine weather forecast.
