Recent natural avalanche activity up to size 4, and continued warm temperatures warrants leaving the avalanche hazard at high. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended.
With intense solar heating and no overnight refreeze, the surface snow is moist and weak. Loose, wet avalanches are easily triggered in steep terrain and reliably gain enough mass to step down to the basal weakness at Treeline elevations and lower.
Several hot days with no overnight refreeze has warmed and destabilized the snowpack. This early season basal weakness has woken up below 2000m and is producing very destructive avalanches.
A very active period of spring avalanche activity started Friday and has continued through Tuesday. Wet/loose natural and controlled avalanches have been widespread with numerous sz 3, and isolated sz 4's. Many slidepaths failed down to ground once the avalanches reached Treeline elevations and lower. The number of avalanches has started to taper off, but large destructive avalanches are still possible.
Warm temps have penetrated the snowpack creating an moist, isothermal snowpack treeline and below on all aspects and into the alpine on solar aspects. Buried crusts in the upper 50 cm are breaking down. Shallow snowpack features have loose, weak snow to ground.
20-40cm above the ground the Nov 17 basal weakness can still be found in many areas.
High pressure continues through Friday with high freezing levels and some building cloud towards the end of the week.
Tonight: Mostly clear, Alpine Low 9°C, FZL 3600m, light S ridgetop wind
Wed: Mix of sun/cloud, Alpine High 13°C, FZL 3700m, light SW winds
Thurs: Mix of sun/cloud, Alpine high 14°C, FZL 3600m, light E winds
