East Slopes South

Avalanche conditions are generally safe. However, temperatures will be slow to cool, so watch for isolated pockets of snow that may shed off rocks and cliffs. Greater hazards are likely due to low snow cover and challenging travel. 

Most slopes have likely already shed what wet snow they held, but keep an eye out for lingering snow patches on steep rocks and cliffs that may still slide. Even a small avalanche could have high consequences if you're pushed over and fall through steep terrain with exposed obstacles. Temperatures will cool slowly throughout the day on Monday, and you may even see some precipitation by the end of the day. With warm air aloft and cold valleys, the result could be a wintery mix with freezing rain, snow, or just rain, depending on your location. 

Last week, I traveled in the Bumping Lake area and found a wet and shallow snowpack (6-12 inches) at lower elevations. Once above 5000 ft, snow depths became more consistent at 2-3ft. The warm temperatures and constant cloud cover have kept the snowpack warm and prevented any refreeze in this area. Stepping off of my skis resulted in sinking through the entire snowpack to the ground. The snow was supportable to skis, but I'm unsure how a snowmobile might fare in these conditions. You can check out my complete observation here. 

The last significant snowfall for the area was over December 9-10th, which brought 6-12 inches of snow across the east-south. Unfortunately, the storm ended warm with rain. Since then, observers reported variable travel and a breakable crust extending to upper elevations. We are uncertain about the current rain/snow line across the East South, but it's likely somewhere around 7000-7500 ft. We have minimal information about the snowpack above these elevations. If you take advantage of the better weather this weekend to get into alpine terrain, plan for this increased uncertainty and be prepared to make snowpack assessments as you travel.

Observations have been sparse since the recent storm, so if you get out, let us know what you see by submitting a public observation.