Head's-up out there. The natural cycle is over, but human-triggered avalanches can still occur, especially in wind-effected areas.
Weather Forecast
Cloudy with trace amounts of snow are forecasted for the Pass today. Alpine temperatures should remain at -10*C or lower and winds in the light to moderate range from the SW. The weekend holds much of the same, with the next significant storm arriving on Monday.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 80cm of settled snow sits over surface hoar at lower elevations, facets and variable wind slabs at higher elevations. This interface is reactive, popping cleanly in snowpack tests. Strong winds have formed wind slabs and wind loaded pockets at treeline and above. Below this are 2 persistent weak layers sandwiched between facets.
Avalanche Summary
Natural avalanche activity has tapered off, but slabs now sit at depths easily triggered by light-loads, like humanoids. A number of field crews in the Pass yesterday backed off of larger slopes due to the ease in which the slabs were reacting down 70-80cm.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations
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.