A strong alpine temperature inversion with solar influence on Wednesday may have had some impact on the snowpack creating a crust on the lower alpine and upper treeline elevations.
Previous SW winds in the alpine loaded lee slopes. Be cautious of local wind influences where reverse or cross loading may have occurred.
The Nov. 4 is down about 50cm at tree line (2000m) and breaking down. Be careful around "thin to thick" areas where deep slabs could be triggered.
Thursday: Cloudy with sunny periods. Alpine temperature: High -1 °C. Wind SW: 10 km/h. Freezing level: 1700m.
Friday: Cloudy with sunny periods. Alpine temperature: Low -8 , High -1 Wind SW: 15 km/h. Freezing level: 1500m.
Saturday: A mix of sun and cloud. Alpine temperature: Low -4 °C, High -1 °C. Wind SW: 15 km/h. Freezing level: 1800m.
Previous winds have stripped the snow from all fetch in the alpine and open tree line. Soft snow can still be found in specific sheltered locations at tree line and below. Snow depth at tree line is around 80cm with the Nov 4 crust down 50cm. The snowpack is supportive to skis. Suspect crust from the inversion on solar at treeline and lower alpine.
No new avalanches observed or reported in the region. No field observations or patrol today.
