The sun should be out today! With this heat the Wind and Storm slabs will become reactive. Limiting exposure to overhead hazards like sunny start zones and cornices are key.
Weather Forecast
Today we'll start to feel the effects of the high pressure system that will be in place until the weekend. Today will be cloudy with sunny periods, alpine high of -6, freezing level to 1100m & light ridge wind gusting to 30km/hr.With the first kiss of sun on Sunday the slopes became sensitive quickly. Keep this in mind when the sun appears
Snowpack Summary
10 cms of new snow fell yesterday burying wind slab in the Alpine and at treeline. This low density snow was easily moved by light/mod winds creating new soft slabs, expect both these wind slabs to still be sensitive to human triggering. Storm slabs are still showing easy shears. The Feb 10 surface hoar is dn 60-100cm and may still be triggered.
Avalanche Summary
Without the direct heat from the sun yesterday natural avalanche activity decreased. On the 21st there was a skier triggered sz 1.5 on Little Sifton col, the skier was involved but uninjured. The slide was 25cm deep, 50m wide & ran 70m. There was also BIG (up to sz 4)avalanches in the Asulkan &Loop valleys from cornices failing during solar warming
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.
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.