Watch for storm slabs at higher elevations, as these could be sensitive to human-triggering in steep terrain. Pay attention as you transition to wind affected snow.
Weather Forecast
Tonight could see SW winds reaching 70km/h. Monday will be mainly cloudy with no precipitation expected. Temperatures should reach a high of -11 °C in the Alpine. Winds are expected to be out of the SW at 15-30 km/h.
Avalanche Summary
Numerous loose dry avalanches up to size 1.0 were observed in extreme terrain in the Alpine.
Snowpack Summary
2 to 4cm of new snow overnight brings storm snow totals up to near 20cm at Treeline. The recent snow is low density except above 2300m where storm slabs have built over the last 2 days. Cornices are beginning to grow. The Dec 4th persistent weak layer is still found below 2100m, but seems dormant at the moment.
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.
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.