Monday's midnight moisture might make moving messy below Treeline, while winter weather and wind slabs whiten the wilderness above.
Start and finish early to maximize your travel time on solid surface crusts.
Pockets of wind slab, up to 30cm deep, sit on a crust on all but high N'ly slopes, where they are perched atop previous variable slabs. Incoming moisture and wind overnight will create new slabs in lee features Treeline and above.
Large cornices are reaching their "Best Before" date, meaning they are calving off under their weight and the added stress of warmer weather. Limit your exposure below them and expect they'll be fragile while traveling along ridge crests.
Minimal crust recovery Sunday night coupled with moderate to heavy rainfall Monday evening may create isothermal conditions below 2000m. Watch for moist/wet avalanches, especially on steeper slopes, until cooler weather locks it back up.
Snow/rain tonight will prevent a solid crust recovery below treeline, with freezing levels (FZL) hovering near 1800m. Unsettled wx through Thurs
Tonight: Rain/Snow, 15cm, Alpine low -4*C, FZL 1800m, mod SW wind
Tues: Flurries with sun/cloud, trace amounts, Alp high -3*C, FZL 1800m, light W wind
Wed: Sun/cloud, Alp high -5*C, FZL 1500m, light SW winds
There are 2 snowpacks in the region at the moment. Below 2000m exists a firm Spring-time melt-freeze snowpack that is solid in the am, then breaking down with daytime warming. Above 2000m, a winter snowpack dominates, with several crusts in the upper pack, wind slabs on lee Alpine features, and dry powder on high, sheltered, N'ly slopes.
Strong solar input and warm temps caused a loose wet cycle to size 2.5 this weekend. On Friday a notable size 3 slab avalanche from Avalanche Crest was observed at Treeline, W aspect (suspected to be windslab on the April 18th crust).
The warmth over the weekend also helped several glide slabs to avalanche.
