Spring-time usually 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.
This year is no exception.
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 high Treeline and Alpine elevations. South-west winds have loaded shaded, polar aspects, though pockets may exist on solar slopes.
A clearing trend the next few days will bring lots of sun, softening up the surface snow on solar aspects. Sunny slopes blazing in the sun should be avoided, especially once their surface has become moist/wet.
A field team was able to ski cut a sz 1.5 wind slab from an alpine lee feature on Christiana Ridge Wednesday.
Sunday and Monday saw minor loose/wet avalanche cycles on steep solar aspects, with several sz 3 slides reaching snowsheds.
The March 27th crust has added strength to the snowpack but expect natural activity to pick back up during sunny periods or if freezing levels are higher than forecast.
10-20cm of dry powder exists on northerly aspects in the alpine. Solar aspects sport a crust with ~5cm new snow on top.
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. If an avalanche digs below this crust, it may entrain large wet, loose avalanches.
Flurries on Thurs, then clearing and rising temps for the weekend.
Tonight cloudy with clear periods, isolated flurries. Trace to 5cm. Alp low -10°C. Ridge wind NW 20km/h. Freezing Level (FZL) 800m
Thurs Mix of sun/cloud. Alp high -6°. Wind N 15km/h. FZL 1600m.
Fri Sunny with cloudy periods. Alp high -3°C. Light wind. FZL 2000m.
Sat Sunny. Alp high 0°C. Light ridge wind. FZL 2200m.
