Spring conditions have arrived. Warm temperatures on Wednesday night may limit the amount the snowpack freezes for Thursday morning. Start and end your day early and be ready to turn around if the crust starts to break down.
Cornices have been growing all winter, many are enormous, and are now ripe for failure with rising temperatures and warm sun impacts. They are large triggers for slopes below plus their sheer mass would hurt. Give them a wide berth.
Hazard will increase each day as the temperature warms up throughout the day and surface crusts begin to break down. Expect solar slopes to be affected first. Start and end your day early.
Field team on the 27th observed a large active serac fall off of Snowdome with an impressive powder cloud which made it a fair distance across the flats and likely close to the regular Columbia Icefield ski route. Some other activity was noted the previous week with large avalanches in the Stutfield basin, a wind slab on Mt Wilson, and a serac collapse from below the Normal Ramp route on Mt Athabasca.
Melt-freeze crusts exist on all aspects other than North alpine. Widespread wind affect in the alpine. The snowpack at treeline and below is wet below a surface crust. High, North slopes have remained cool and have a dry, winter-like snowpack.
Thursday
A mix of sun and cloud.
Precipitation: Nil.
Alpine temperature: High 5 °C.
Ridge wind west: 10-20 km/h.
Freezing level: 2700 metres.
FridayCloudy with sunny periods and isolated showers.
Precipitation: Trace.
Alpine temperature: Low 2 °C, High 5 °C.
Ridge wind west: 10-30 km/h.
Freezing level: 2800 metres.
SaturdayCloudy with sunny periods and isolated showers.
Precipitation: Trace.
Alpine temperature: Low 1 °C, High 6 °C.
Ridge wind light to 20 km/h.
Freezing level: 2900 metres.
