Central Sierra Nevada

Avalanche activity has grown unlikely, but people should still practice good travel techniques like carrying avalanche safety gear, only exposing one person at a time when traveling in steep terrain, and regrouping in safe zones. Expect variable snow conditions and plenty of obstacles when traveling in the backcountry. Talk with your group to make plans that match your skills with the current conditions. 

Snow coverage and snow conditions vary greatly across the forecast area by location, aspect, and elevation. Over 7500 feet, many parts of the forecast area hold 2 to 3 feet of snow on the NW-N-NE-E aspects, with generally more snow in the northern part of the forecast area than in the southern part. Southerly aspects hold less snow, and spring-like weather continues to melt snow. Shady, sheltered, northerly aspects still hold a few inches of soft, cold snow on the surface. On the other hand, thin sun crusts or wet snow exist on sunny slopes, depending on the time of day. Expect to find more wind-affected surfaces at the upper elevations and on more exposed slopes. Plenty of obstacles like rocks, bushes, logs, trees, and flowing creeks remain exposed or just barely covered, especially at the lower elevations. 

Underneath those surfaces, several different layers exist. The layers in the middle of the snowpack have grown strong and dense in most places. Some NW-N-NE aspects above 8000 to 8500 ft still have weaker layers in the snowpack, including soft, weak snow at the base of the snowpack or a thin layer of graupel higher in the snowpack. However, snowpit tests and observations targeting these layers show that they have gained strength in most places. Some tests continue to produce unstable results in the southern part of the forecast area, where a shallower and weaker snowpack exists. 

The early season represents a perfect time to build good habits. Starting your trip plan with a conversation about the current conditions and an honest assessment of your group's skills is one such habit. From there, you can make a plan focusing on terrain and conditions that match your group's skills and goals. An end-of-the-day debrief that identifies things that went well or poorly is another habit that will help refine your group's decision-making and communication skills. Submitting an observation with your group can help guide that debrief and also help provide more data for the avalanche forecast!