Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Glacier.
Spring is in the air. Expect fast travel on a crust in the morning, and good skiing on high due North aspects.
Watch for increased avalanche activity as the sun hits steep slopes, and the temps warm through the day.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
On Thursday, sun and warm temps triggered a cycle of loose wet avalanches, up to size 2.5, in steep solar terrain.
On Tuesday a field team was able to easily trigger several small slab avalanches at the interface of Sunday's storm.
Snowpack Summary
Below treeline, the snowpack is a series of supportive crusts, which soften with daytime warming.
At treeline and in the alpine, due N aspects still hold dry snow. On solar aspects a breakable surface crust overlies a series of buried crusts, which may provide a failure plane for slab avalanches as temps rise.
The Nov 17 basal weakness can still be found in many locations 20-40cm off the ground.
Weather Summary
Increasingly unsettled weather and warming temps in to the weekend, as a pacific low approaches.
Tonight: Alpine low -6°C, light S ridge winds, Freezing level (FZL) 1200m
Friday: Sunny periods, High -1°C, FZL 2000m, light W winds.
Sat: Flurries (5cm), Low -5 °C, High -2 °C, FZL 2000m, Light SW wind.
Sun: Flurries (5-10cm), Low -3 °C, High 0 °C.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Rocks will heat up with daytime warming and may become trigger points for loose wet avalanches
- The more the snowpack warms-up and weakens, the more conservative you`ll want to be with your terrain selection.
- Avoid terrain traps such as gullies and cliffs where the consequence of any avalanche could be serious.
Avalanche Problems
Loose Wet
As the day warms, moist/wet surface snow will slide on the most recent crust, and could gain significant mass in steep open terrain.
Aspects: East, South East, South, South West, West, North West.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Persistent Slabs
Snow that fell in the past 2 weeks covers a series of crusts combined with surface hoar/facets in some locations. Loose wet avalanches in motion have the potential to step down to these layers, creating large avalanches.
Aspects: East, South East, South, South West, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3