Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Glacier.
Weather Forecast
Today and Friday are forecast to be sunny and very warm! Freezing levels are expected to rise as high as 3500m, with alpine temps in the shade reaching 10'C. Add the sun to that and it will feel tropical. Temps are expected to stay above freezing overnight, so even an early start won't help on Friday. By Sat we should get an overnight recovery.
Snowpack Summary
At treeline and above a ~30cm storm slab overlies a 3 cm thick crust. Below the crust the upper ~70cm of snow is warm, moist and weak. Sustained S'ly winds at ridgetop will have built deeper, more cohesive slabs on lee and cross-loaded slopes. At 1300m the surface crust that formed overnight is only 3cm thick with a very weak overnight recovery.
Avalanche Summary
Yesterday a skier triggered a size 2.5 on the headwall of Youngs Peak; a W aspect at ~2675m. The avalanche was 20-80cm deep and ran 150m. Luckily the skier was not buried. In addition a few loose wet natural avalanches, mostly size 2 but one size 3, were observed running into valley bottoms.
Confidence
Avalanche Problems
Loose Wet
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 2 - 3
Storm Slabs
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Cornices
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South, South West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 2 - 3