Danger could INCREASE TO CONSIDERABLE with intense radiation on south and west aspects, especially at treeline and below. Be aware of how the warm weather is changing the snowpack.
Weather Forecast
A dominating high pressure system with sunny skies, rising freezing levels and light winds continues through to Monday. The pattern will start to deteriorate by Tuesday, showing increased cloud and grey skies with no precipitation. Sunday: Few to scattered high cloud. Alpine temperatures 3.0 and freezing levels 2700 m. Ridgetop winds light from the NW.Monday: Scattered clouds. Alpine temperatures 4.0 and freezing 2700 m. Ridgetop winds blowing light from the NW.Tuesday: Cloudy. Alpine temperatures 2.0 and freezing levels falling to 2500 m. Ridgetop winds blowing light from the SW.
Avalanche Summary
Small loose wet avalanches up to size 1.5 were reported.
Snowpack Summary
The surface snow has become moist or wet up to 2200 m, especially on solar aspects. Spring-like, melt-freeze conditions exist. Surface hoar and surface facetting is forming on sheltered, northerly aspects, especially at higher elevations. Cornices are large and weak during daytime warming. Pockets of wind slab may still exist in the immediate lee of ridge lines and terrain features. A buried rain crust can be found down 50 cm and exists up to around 2100 m. The bond of this snow to the crust has shown variability though the region. It is important to dig down and test weak layers before dropping into your line. A large trigger such as a cornice fall or a skier/sledder hitting the sweet spot, could potentially trigger a large avalanche on this layer.
Problems
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.