Extra caution is needed today! Strong south winds last night have likely formed touchy slabs on lee and cross-loaded features.
Weather Forecast
Today will be mostly cloudy with some flurries possible from an advancing Arctic front. There may also be some sunny periods. Alpine temperatures are forecast to be a high of -12C. Ridge winds, west 20-65km/h.
Snowpack Summary
Touchy wind slabs can be expected not just in the immediate lee of ridges, but also further down the slopes, where strong winds will have deposited snow. Sun crusts will be found on steep solar aspects. Stability tests have produced planar results down 25-40cm in some locations, but generally these interfaces are bonding. Scoured snow in alpine.
Avalanche Summary
Yesterday natural activity produced two size 2 slabs, a cornice triggered size 1.5 wind slab, and a size 1. On Saturday a group remote triggered a size 2 slab from 30m+/- away at 2300m on Cheops North 5, N asp. 2 skiers were involved but not buried or injured. The slide was 30cm deep, 20m wide, and ran approximately 200m.
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.