Large cornice failures are more likely during periods of hot and sunny weather.
Use caution when traveling on corniced ridgetops and limit your exposure to slopes with large cornices overhead.
Cornices may be weak and reactive to human triggers. They create a significant falling hazard, and may produce large slab avalanches as they fall onto the slope below.
Cornice failures are more likely during hot and sunny weather.
Small wet loose avalanches should be expected on steep, solar aspects when the sun comes out.
Avoid big, steep, alpine slopes that are getting cooked by the sun.
Saturday night: Mostly clear / Light southwest wind / Low of -5 / Freezing level 1300 m.
Sunday: Mix of sun and cloud, then 5-10 cm snow overnight ( rain below around 1200 m) / Moderate south wind / High of 6 / Freezing level 2200 m.
Monday: Mix of sun and cloud with very isolated flurries/showers; 0-5 cm / Moderate southwest wind / High of 3 / Freezing level 1700 m.
Tuesday: Mix of sun and cloud with very isolated flurries/showers; 0-5 cm / Light southwest wind / High of 2 / Freezing level 1500 m.
Small (size 1-1.5) naturally triggered wet loose avalanches on solar aspects were reported at treeline and above on Friday.
We currently have very limited avalanche observation data from this region.
Please consider posting your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN). Photos of current conditions and avalanches are the most helpful.
10 cm of well settled recent snow sits on a melt-freeze crust.
Several crusts exist in the upper snowpack. In areas where there are weak facets sitting on top of the crusts, there is potential for large natural slab avalanches when freezing levels reach mountain tops for multiple days.
Avoid large slopes and avalanche paths during periods of intense warming.
Cornices are very large and more prone to failure during periods of intense warming.
