Little change in store for the next few days. There have been isolated skier remote avalanches in steep alpine terrain over the past week, and some thin wind slabs in high elevation lees to watch for. Conditions are good but its not open season.
Weather Forecast
The dry cold weather continues. Cool temperatures will persist with no significant precipitation in sight for the weekend. Winds remain light out of the W for the next couple days.
Snowpack Summary
No new snow in several days. 5-10 cm of recent snow has been redistributed into thin wind slabs in immediate lee areas at treeline and above. The October 26th crust/facet layer is ~30 cm above ground. In many areas the entire snowpack is faceting and becoming quite weak. Snow depths range from 50-85 cm at 2000 m.
Avalanche Summary
Another skier accidental was reported Wednesday on the slopes skiers left of Bow Summit. It was a size 1.5 and likely failed on the Oct 26th crust/facets. Additionally some small thin wind slabs were reported in the Observation Peak and Sunshine Village areas. A few small loose dry avalanche have also been observed.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations
Problems
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.
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.