Dropped my bike helmet and scared my cat, means 22 days of winter left! Scientific Fact!Combo of building cornices and wind slab create a significant hazard for larger avalanches from above.
Weather Forecast
Progressive cooling through the evening should facilitate a good recovery for Sunday morning with some warming over the day. Precip expected in the early afternoon and may initially present as moist snow or rain, especially BTL. Pulses of precip through to Monday to a max of 10cms. Freezing levels rising to 1600ms and consistent moderate Sw winds.
Snowpack Summary
Fluctuations in solar input have left a weak crust on S through W aspects. Variable support in the am and breaking down over the day. Dry, facetted and generally uninspiring below this crust. Polar aspects offering better riding and can be worth the wallow to TL where there is more consistent support underfoot due to a more settled mid-pack.
Avalanche Summary
Field observations in the Maligne Valley with some previous activity observed but nothing new to report. Intense transport observed in the Bald Hills area but no new activity observed from roadside.
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.