Avalanche activity has dropped off significantly but there are still wind slabs that could produce significant avalanches.
Confidence
Fair - Due to the number and quality of field observations
Weather Forecast
Forecast models show no precipitation for the region until Thursday afternoon when a pulse of Pacific moisture is scheduled to arrive. Freezing levels will stay around 600m throughout out the forecast period, but an above freezing layer will pass through the region on Wednesday. Winds will be light from the S-SW until the Pacific moisture arrives, then bump up to moderate and strong on Friday.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been reported.
Snowpack Summary
A thick crust is the most dominant feature in the snowpack above 1500 metres with breakable crust below that. There are a variety of layers previously mentioned in snowpack discussions, but unless there is an extreme weather event, they are likely to remain out of the picture . Some areas have reported 5cm of soft snow in sheltered areas above 1800metres, and one reporting party has observed 8mm surface hoar development on North apsects around ridgetops. One operator has reported a Jan 4th surface hoar that may now be buried by as much as 20 to 40 cm.
Problems
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.