West Slopes South

The snowpack should be pretty locked up on Sunday. With cold temperatures, cloudy skies, and only a few showers in the afternoon, that’s not likely to change. Despite the low avalanche danger, travel could be firm, irregular, and unforgiving.

Sure, some more snow is on the way, but this storm won’t arrive in time on Sunday to have much of an impact on the avalanche danger. Instead, cloudy skies, cold temperatures, increasing winds, and minimal precipitation should keep the snow surface frozen and firm. Showers will start to arrive in the afternoon. Some of these could be convective and bring moments of intense snowfall, gusty winds, and limited visibility. If you happen to be caught in one of these squalls, you could pick up a quick 1/2 inch of snow (graupel). Generally, they don’t last long, but it may feel very stormy. 

Strong winds should easily blow any soft snow (old or new) around and could build very small, shallow slabs. These fresh pockets of wind loaded snow shouldn’t be deeper than a few inches or larger than a dining room table. Older, larger wind slabs that formed last week may still linger on higher elevation shaded aspects, but they’re probably few and far between and very difficult to trigger. Even still, if you see firm pillow-like slabs, consider using lower angled or scoured slopes to slip around these wind loaded areas. If you’re going to find an avalanche of any consequence, one of these old wind slabs is probably it. 

One upside to the recent weather is that the snowpack is generally strong and stable. A burly, thick crust (3/25) sits at or near the surface on most slopes. Sure, maybe there’s some weaker wet snow beneath this layer, but it probably doesn’t matter at the moment. Last week, 4-6 inches of snow fell across the zone. On sunny aspects, several spring days helped incorporate this new snow into the 3/25 crust. However, on shaded slopes, soft dry snow can still be found higher in the terrain. 

It seems a bit silly to say “early season hazards still exist” at the end of March, but that’s generally the case. Coverage is grim, particularly at lower elevations and on steep sunny aspects. Many slopes are very firm and even icy. A simple slip could easily turn into a long, uncontrolled fall. Then there are all the obstacles. Open creeks, random holes, frozen avalanche debris, downed logs, and tons of bushes make some routes long and circuitous. Take your time. Travel challenges will probably be the greatest danger of the day.