Stability is improving but there are still avalanche problems out there. If you see anything interesting, please submit an observation using our new website tool. For more details see: http://goo.gl/Tj0xPC
Confidence
Fair - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
High pressure persists for the forecast period. Monday should be mainly sunny with treeline temperatures around -6C and light SE winds. On Tuesday and Wednesday, conditions are much the same with a mix of sun and cloud, treeline temperatures around -8C, and light winds.
Avalanche Summary
A report on Sunday of a skier remotely triggering a size 2.5 avalanche from 5 meters away in the Dogtooth range alpine. This occurred at around 2300m in the alpine. Also reported was an explosive triggered size 2 persistent slab releasing around 60cm deep. On Saturday, explosive control at a ski area produced only surface sluffing; no slabs. Widespread natural avalanche activity was reported during the storm on Wednesday and Thursday.
Snowpack Summary
The rain-soaked snow surface has refrozen and created a melt-freeze crust up to around 2200 m. Above this elevation there may still be dry storm snow, which has probably been blasted around by strong southerly winds. In some areas the storm snow may be sitting on a layer of old surface hoar. The mid pack consists of settled snow, facets, and melt-freeze crusts (primarily lower elevations). The early November crust/facet layer is down around 1 m. Tests are suggesting that this layer is getting difficult to trigger but still has the potential to produce large avalanches.
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.