Solar aspects could see hazard levels into the CONSIDERABLE range on Wednesday due to intense solar input. Start early and finish early! A winter-type snowpack remains on polar aspects with wind slabs as the main concern.
Wind slabs are found in lee and cross-loaded terrain in the Alpine and in isolated wind-prone areas at Treeline. These slabs may still be reactive to human triggering in steep and unsupported terrain.
Cornices are large and looming. Limit your exposure underneath these beasts, especially when the sun is blazing and the air temps are warm.
Intense solar radiation and high freezing levels will quickly destabilize the snow on solar aspects on Wednesday.
Another beautiful day is expected on Wednesday with sunny skies, warm temps and light NE winds. The April sun will feel intense and freezing levels will climb to 2250m.
Only pin-wheeling observed today in solar terrain, but field teams left the field early, so we may have missed the peak of solar activity. No new slab avalanches in the past 24hrs.
A few more cm's fell in the last 24hrs. The storm snow over the past week now totals between 40 and 60cm and is settling rapidly on solar aspects. This time of year is the "tale of two snowpacks." On the solar side, the mornings are crusty, but this crust melts rapidly in the April sun. Today the top 5cm of the snow was moist by midday making for sticky ski conditions and increasing avalanche hazard. On the polar aspects, the snowpack is more wintery in nature with wind slabs in lee and cross-loaded terrain in the Alpine and wind prone areas at Treeline. Recent human and naturally-triggered avalanches on northerly aspects indicate that wind slabs are still a concern. Cornices are also large and looming and deserve respect, especially in the blazing sun.
