The wind has created windslabs in the Alpine and Treeline zones. Be extra cautious when you can feel slabby snow.
Weather Forecast
Broken clouds and almost no snow in the forecast for this region. Temperatures are expected to cool a little from the above seasonal values of the last few days, and the temperature inversion is expected to end.
Snowpack Summary
Warm temperatures in the alpine (inversion) combined with moderate to strong SW winds has created hard and soft slabs, especially in the alpine.� These slabs overlie the January 4 interface, down 40-60cm, and can be most reactive on steep solar aspects due to facets that formed on a crust.� Significant loading can also be expected on NE aspects.
Avalanche Summary
Recent avalanches have occurred on N aspects in the alpine, and are associated with the moderate to high winds.� Pockets of wind slab have also been observed to fail in specific terrain, mostly on cross loaded features.� Cornices are beginning to fail, causing avalanches to size 2.5.
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.
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.