Spring like warming by day and colder temperatures at night. The snowpack is gaining strength for most part but large avalanches (up to size3) are still being observed in isolated alpine slopes. Forecasters are avoiding shallow rocky snowpack areas.
Summary
Confidence
High
Weather Forecast
The ridge of high pressure will break down and small amounts of precipitation are forecast. Cloudy conditions with light flurries for Saturday and the freeze level will rise to 1900 meters. Winds will be moderate from the west with gusts up 60km/h.
Avalanche Summary
The warm air and clear skies from the last 2 days have introduced solar heat input and has caused a small loose wet avalanche cycle on solar aspects yesterday and today. The loose wet avalanches in a few cases triggered a size 2 slab on a high south facing alpine feature. Another size 3 avalanche that went to glacier ice was observed today on the NE face of Mount Robertson. It's unclear what the exact trigger was but recent daytime heating and/or cornice failure was the likely culprit.
Snowpack Summary
Spring conditions are beginning to influence the snowpack. Solar and melt-freeze crusts can be found on all solar aspects and temperature crusts to 2100 meters. The upper snowpack has a buried melt-freeze crust, the February 11th crust has not been reactive in snowpack tests but may possibly be responsible for some recent slab avalanche activity. The January 6th facets are still lurking about 60-70cm below the surface and generally showing non results in snowpack tests. The snowpack temperature gradient is showing rounding taking place which indicates strengthening in upper treeline and alpine elevations. Lower treeline and below treeline where the snowpack is less than 100 cm is still weak but semi-supportive because of recent temperature crusts which carry a skier's weight.
matt.mueller,
Alberta Parks
