Weather Forecast
Sunday: A weak ridge of high pressure should bring dry conditions with light north winds and alpine temperatures near -4.Monday: High pressure will continue to influence the region giving mostly sunny conditions, light northwest winds. Possible temperature inversion bringing slightly warmer alpine temperatures.Tuesday: Dry conditions persist as the ridge of high pressure slowly shifts east. Increasingly overcast skies. Continued light northwesterly winds. Alpine temperatures near -7.
Avalanche Summary
There was recent (Dec 26) report of a size 3 skier triggered avalanche in the Dogtooth range. Triggered from a thin area on a cross-loaded west facing feature at the upper end of the tree-line elevation, it then stepped down to the early November crust. There are no other observations to report at this time.
Snowpack Summary
New snow combined with wind has formed fresh wind slabs on the surface and/or buried newly formed surface hoar in sheltered, open areas at and below tree line. The mid-pack is reported to be well settled. There has been a recent report of the early November crust (near the base of the snowpack) being reactive. It's important to note that professionals are still cautious about this lingering persistent slab problem, however the likelihood of triggering is low. Be wary of steep complex terrain with a shallow snowpack, where triggering a persistent weakness is more likely.
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.