Though the deeper instabilities remain in the back of our minds, quality observations and significant weather swings with little avalanche activity have inspired confidence in the snowpack.
Weather Forecast
Cooling trend trend till thursday with freezing levels at valley bottom, No precipitation expected. Light South-South West winds in the alpine.
Snowpack Summary
There is a well settled snowpack in most locations. Widespread wind effected snow in the alpine with minimal ski penetration. The Halloween Oct 31 crust sits in the lower half snowpack with faceted crystals above and below between 2200 - 2900m.
Avalanche Summary
Highway 93 patrol. No avalanches reported.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations
Problems
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.