Keep your head up folks. Rapid variations in temperature and solar effect is waking up a touchy storm slab.
Weather Forecast
Steady as she goes! No expected dramatic changes in the weather. Mainly overcast skies and light snow expected over the day Saturday.
Snowpack Summary
Overall, as we continue to explore areas outside the normally accessed skiing, field teams are finding a weak snowpack. The Dec 20 facet/surface hoar layer is out there. It is proving to be very sensitive to fluctuations in temp and solar radiation and is showing exceptional propagating properties for having only a weak soft storm slab over it.
Avalanche Summary
An avalanche cycle is being reported from field teams with multiple slides, up to sz 3 on south to westerly (solar) aspects over the last 2 days. A dramatic temperature inversion at around 2500ms (cold air low/warm above) is affecting the slopes and seems to have enough punch to initiate the natural activity.
Confidence
Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
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.