Rain and warmth have softened the lower elevation snowpack, creating moist surface conditions on all aspects.
If you can safely navigate the valley-bottom slop and get into the Alpine, you may find some dry snow on northerly aspects. Bring your Glopstopper!
Up to 60cm of settled snow 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.
Lower elevations saw rain overnight, saturating the surface. The snowpack below treeline has lost strength and wet loose avalanches will become likely in steep terrain.
Numerous wet/loose surface avalanches have been observed from steep gullies/slopes on all aspects at and below treeline. From point releases, they have been gathering up a substantial mass and leaving deposits as large as sz 2.5.
As the week continues to warm up, expect these wet/loose avalanches to increase in size and potentially step down to deep layers, possibly even the Nov 17 facets.
Below and at Treeline, rain and clouds are preventing a strong surface crust recovery.
In the Alpine, true N'ly aspects hold dry snow. On solar aspects, a breakable 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 areas, ~20-40cm above the ground.
Unsettled weather the next few days, with freezing levels rising, then exploding up, by the weekend.
Tonight: cloudy/clear periods, light W wind,1600m FZL
Tues: sun and cloud, Alp high -3*C, light/mod W winds, 2000m FZL
Wed: cloudy, scattered rain/flurries, Alp high 2*C, mod/strong SW winds, 2500m FZL
