Spring-time brings a wide array of conditions, from bullet-proof crusts in the valley bottom, horrible travel in tight trees, and glorious powder on N-facing alpine slopes.
Expect conditions to change rapidly as the sun strikes the mountains. Get an early start and finish early!!
Fresh wind slabs can be found in immediate lee features at Treeline and Alpine elevations. South-west winds have loaded Northerly aspects, though pockets may exist on solar slopes.
Cornices have grown significantly in the last few weeks and are becoming more fragile with the warmer temperatures. There has been sporadic cornice fall observed in the park, sometimes pulling slabs out when they hit the slopes. Limit your exposure overhead, especially when the sun is strong.
A clearing trend the next few days will bring lots of sun and higher freezing levels. This will soften up the surface snow on solar aspects. Slopes blazing in the sun should be avoided, especially once their surface has become moist/wet.
On Thursday a party triggered a size 1.5 slab on a steep line on the North face of Cheops. One person was involved and lost equipment.
A field team was able to ski cut a sz 1.5 wind slab from an alpine lee feature on Christiana Ridge Wednesday.
The March 27th crust has added bridging strength to the snowpack but expect things to fall apart quickly when that crust breaks down in the heat.
10-20cm of dry powder exists on northerly aspects in the alpine. Solar aspects have a surface crust of varying thickness.
Below this surface snow, a 10-25cm thick crust of variable strength from last week's rain event is present. Test results have varied on this crust, from no result to moderate failures.
Below 2300m, up to 50cm of moist snow can be found under this crust.
High pressure will bring clearing and rising temps for the weekend.
Tonight Clear, nil precip. Alp high -3°C. Ridge wind SW 10-km/h. Freezing Level (FZL) 1300m
Sat Mix of Sun and cloud. Alp high: 0°C. Light SW ridge wind. FZL 2200m.
Sun Mix of sun/cloud. Precip: nil. Alp high 4°. Wind South 10-30 km/h. FZL 2700m.
Mon Flurries. Snow: 7cm. Alp high 2°C. Wind SW 15-30. FZL 2000m.
