A human triggered avalanche occurred yesterday involving two people. Expect the avalanche hazard to increase with building winds and precipitation.
Weather Forecast
Cloudy with snow developing this morning and an alpine high of -3C today. Ridge winds are forecast to rise to 30km/h gusting to 65km/h. Depending which forecast is correct we could see between a trace and 10cm of snow by tomorrow morning.
Snowpack Summary
Variable thickness wind slab should be expected along the lee of ridges and cross loaded areas. Sun crusts are present on steep solar aspects and well settled powder may be found in sheltered terrain. Storm interfaces down 25-40cm are bonding in most, but not all locations and are still producing planar results in stability tests.
Avalanche Summary
Yesterday afternoon skiers reported observing another group remote triggered a size 2 slab from 30m+/- away at the 2300m elevation of Cheops North 5, N asp. 2 skiers were involved but not buried or injured. The slide was 30cm deep, 20m wide and ran approximately 200m. There were three size 2 slabs observed in the highway corridor.
Confidence
Wind effect is extremely variable
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.