Confidence
Fair - Due to variable snowpack conditions
Weather Forecast
Monday: Light SE winds. Alpine temperatures around -8. No precipitation.Tuesday: Light to moderate SE winds. Alpine temperature around -7. If all you want for Christmas is some more snow, you might get a little bit, starting late in the day.Wednesday: Light S winds. Alpine temperature around -6. Light snow.
Avalanche Summary
Explosive and ski testing on Sunday produced widespread avalanching to size 1.5 in the alpine and at treeline. A natural avalanche was reported on the north face of the Lions on Saturday.
Snowpack Summary
Over a metre of snow has fallen this week with strong SE winds, which has created wind slabs in alpine and open treeline terrain. New cornices exist. In sheltered areas below treeline, very deep loose snow has built up. Three surface hoar layers in the upper/mid snowpack appear to be gaining strength. In general, the mid-pack is strong.Near the base of the snowpack, a crust/facet layer has become unlikely to be triggered. However, professionals are still mindful of thin snowpack trigger areas or large loads which could wake it up again, leading to a very large avalanche.
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.
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.