Central Sierra Nevada

Problematic avalanches remain unlikely on a regional scale. Talk with your group to make plans that match your skills with the current conditions. Continue to use best-practice backcountry travel techniques, such as only exposing one person at a time to steep slopes and assessing the snow and terrain as you travel. 

The prolonged E/NE winds scoured and reshaped the snow surface on most open slopes near and above treeline earlier this week. Uneven, wind-sculpted features, firm, wind-packed snow, and scoured ice crusts will remain on these slopes for the foreseeable future. If your travel plans take you into alpine terrain near exposed ridges, gullies, and open areas, expect to find variable, firm, and uneven snow surfaces. Below treeline, some shaded slopes protected from the wind, like tree-covered slopes and areas where other terrain blocks the wind, still hold soft, consistent snow. In addition to having more enjoyable snow conditions, traveling in these areas can help reduce exposure to those firm, challenging snow surface conditions above treeline.

As the day warms up, a shallow layer of wet surface snow may form on sun-exposed slopes. Still, this January melt/freeze cycle is unlikely to produce enough wet snow for significant wet loose instabilities due to solid overnight refreezes, weak January sun, and relatively gradual warming. It may slowly create more spring-like snow conditions on southerly facing slopes with snow coverage.

Travel plans that start with a conversation about the current conditions and an honest assessment of your group's abilities can help you find terrain and conditions that match the group's skills and interests. An end-of-the-day debrief that identifies what went well or poorly will refine your group's decision-making and communication skills. Keep using good travel techniques such as carrying avalanche safety gear, only exposing one person at a time when traveling in steep terrain, and regrouping in safe zones.