Continued mild conditions. Watch for rapid warming when the sun comes out. Good skiing in sheltered areas over the last several days.
Weather Forecast
Continued mild weather with moderate W to NW winds in the alpine. Little precipitation is expected over the next several days.
Snowpack Summary
Thin sun crust on steep S aspects. Wind slabs forming near ridge crests and in open areas at tree line and above from Moderate to Strong NW winds. Below this is a well settled snowpack. No significant shears found in test profiles over the past several days. Still some concerns for facets in thin areas and cross loaded gully features.
Avalanche Summary
Several cornice failures have occurred over the last few days. Some of these have triggered wind slabs up to size 2 in steep terrain. One steep cross loaded NW facing gully feature released naturally today as a size 2.5 at about 2000m in a thin snow pack area. Otherwise little natural activity has been observed over the last several days.
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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.