Varying degrees of wind affect in the alpine down into tree line, with areas of soft snow. Lower elevation skiing is crusty.
Its like spring skiing... minus the warmth and corn snow.
Cornices are LARGE this time of year and may be sensitive to temperature fluctuations, wind loading or just your mere presence nearby. Take necessary precautions if approaching them to access your line.
Saturday will see a mix of sun and cloud, 10-20km/hr Easterly winds, a freezing level rising to 1500m and an alpine temperature high of -6. Similar weather pattern for the next few days until Tuesday, where we might see another small winter storm system roll through with 10cm of snow.
A supportive crust from valley bottom to ~2200m makes for quick travel (ski crampons recommended). Preserved soft snow can typically be found on Northerly slopes at higher elevations. Wind affected snow in the alpine from the Northerly winds these past few days with some pockets of wind slab.
A size 2.0 slab pulled out of Lone Pine on Friday, running to the top of the fan.
On Wednesday, there was a size 3 cornice fall off of Mt Bonney (triggered by a skier on belay). And on Monday, there was a close call when a small wind slab nearly took a skier into a crevasse!
