Continued snowfall and strong winds will keep the avalanche danger elevated through the forecast period
Confidence
Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Tuesday
Weather Forecast
Tuesday: Flurries with periods of snow, accumulation 10-15cm / Moderate to strong southwest wind / Alpine temperature -4 Wednesday: Snow, accumulation 10-20cm / Moderate to strong southwest wind / Alpine temperature -6 Thursday: Periods of snow, accumulation 10-20cm / Moderate to strong southwest wind / Alpine temperature -5
Avalanche Summary
Expect avalanche activity to stay on the rise with continued new snowfall accumulating Monday night through into Tuesday combined with moderate to strong wind and warming temperatures.
Snowpack Summary
30-50cm of new snow overlies the previous variable snow surface from last week, which includes hard wind pressed or scoured areas, old wind slabs, weak faceted snow, or surface hoar. Moderate to strong southwest wind has redistributed this new snow to form windslabs in the lee of terrain features in the alpine and treeline. The widespread mid-November crust is typically down 1-2m in the snowpack. Recent snowpack and explosive tests have shown the crust to be unreactive, but it could remain a problem in shallow alpine start zones.
Problems
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.