Loose Wet
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1
Cold, overnight temperatures are just what the snow doctor ordered and this mornings snow surface is locked up and tight. However, with temperatures expected to soar into the 40's, wet avalanches become possible on all steep, snow covered slopes as the day heats up. Often starting as a small point release, wet slides and sluffs can fan out and entrain large amounts of damp surface snow as they descend a slope. (like in the image above). No mystery here, this is a pretty-straight-forward avalanche problem to avoid by simply getting off of and out from under steep slopes, especially if the snow surface you're riding feels saturated, manky, or punchy like a trap door. In addition, you'll want to think about your travel plans and remember to avoid terrain traps like gullies and road cuts where cement-like, bone snapping avalanche debris can stack up very deeply.
And remember-
Huuuuge cornices may become more tender and reactive to our additional weight, breaking further back than expected, particularly with warming the next few days. You definitely wanna give these large, unpredictable pieces of snow the respect they deserve and not ruin someones day below by inadvertently knocking a boxcar size piece of snow down on them.