Warm temps, broken skies, irregular strong solar effect! Feels very spring-like. This is a transitional time for the snowpack continue to treat the terrain cautiously. Plan for the dawn patrol, enjoy the sun and get back early for happy hour!
Weather Forecast
Spring like warming trend with a distinct south westerly flow. Freezing levels rising to treeline elevations into the weekend. Trace, to upwards of 10cm of snow overnight Friday won't stick around long with daytime solar and warming for Saturday. Freezing level to 1700m, light west winds and, Alpine temps; High of -6.
Snowpack Summary
Facetting has weakened the snowpack in isolated areas through the forecast region. Melt freeze, spring-like cycle beginning in ernest BTL. Variable, moist surface snow on steep, rocky solar aspects. Less so on BTL, ski-able, solar slopes where broken cloud and cooling winds are keeping the surface dry. Wind effect in open areas in the ALP and TL.
Avalanche Summary
Explosive assisted, solar induced, loose dry avalanches to sz 1.5 in BTL south and south-west aspects entraining the facets and running fast on Wednesday.
Confidence
Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Saturday
Problems
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.