By definition we are at moderate right now but skier triggering is much more likely with the new windslabs. Rein it in and pull back a bit right now.
Weather Forecast
MondayMainly cloudy with isolated flurries.Precipitation: Trace.Alpine temperature: High -6 °C.Ridge wind southwest: 35 km/h.Freezing level: 1500 metres.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed.
Snowpack Summary
The warm temps and strong winds are creating widespread windslabs in the alpine and specific areas at treeline. These slabs are 20-30cm thick and failing on weak facets and/or the December 15th interface. The November crusts are still deeper down in the snowpack but they are facetting out more and more each day and have yet to produce a significant sheer during snowpack tests.
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.