Avalanche Forecast

No new avalanche observations or reports the last few days. Forecasters have not been out on foot, but have driven the spray road. Wide spread wet activity is everywhere. This large warm up is a good opportunity for any slope that has not avalanched will likely wake up the deep persistent weak layers in the snowpack and be large destructive wet avalanche.

With above freezing temperatures and mixed rain and snow the last few days, Finding any quality skiing would be a hard goal. Crusts on all aspects with the exception of shaded North above 2400m (which is likely also being affected). This would be a great time to avoid any exposure to avalanche terrain as this hot weather passes through.

We are entering the big warm up of the spring. Freezing levels are going to rapidly rise to from 2900m on Wednesday to 3900m by Friday, and stay there through the weekend. This is the warm up we have been waiting for. Valley temperatures are forecasted to be in the +20 range.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Be alert to conditions that change throughout the day.
• Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.
• Keep in mind that wet avalanches can be destructive due to their high density.
• A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
• If triggered loose wet avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
• Be aware that wet activity at low elevations is a classic situation for step-down failures in deeply buried persistent weak layers.
• Cornices become weak with daytime heating.