Wind slabs have formed on a variety of aspects due to shifting winds. Natural avalanche activity has tapered off but human triggered avalanches remain possible.
Confidence
High - The weather pattern is stable on Thursday
Weather Forecast
Increasing cloud cover and light snowfall amounts are forecast with the incoming weather system. The weekend will remain cold.THURSDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries. Alpine temperatures near -7 with light ridgetop winds from the northwest.FRIDAY: Cloudy with snow amounts 5-10 cm. Alpine temperatures near -10 and ridgetop winds moderate from the northeast.SATURDAY: A mix of sun and cloud. Alpine temperatures near -20 and ridgetop winds moderate from the northeast.
Avalanche Summary
On Tuesday, a few skier triggered wind slabs and one natural wind slab up to size 2 were reported. These were mostly triggered from North through East aspects from 1600-2200 m. Natural avalanche activity has tapered off but wind slabs are still reactive to light loads like a person.
Snowpack Summary
Alpine terrain is heavily wind affected to varying degrees on all aspects. The 40-50 cm of new snow from last weekend has been redistributed initially by strong southwesterly winds and now northerly outflow winds. This sits on a crust on all aspects except north and possibly a mixture of weak feathery surface hoar or sugary facets in isolated sheltered terrain at treeline and below. The remainder of the snowpack is generally well-settled.
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.