Spring conditions mean it's all about timing! Start and finish early to avoid slopes once the crusts break down.
Weather Forecast
Plenty of sun today, with freezing levels rising to 1800m and light east winds. A mix of sun and cloud Fri/Sat with freezing levels rising to 2000m and light winds. Flurries are forecasted for Sunday, bringing 5-10cm of snow and light winds.
Snowpack Summary
We're into the spring melt freeze cycle. At valley bottom the crust this morning was 7cm thick and overlies an isothermal snowpack in most areas. Surface crusts have been breaking down by mid-afternoon on solar aspects steeper than 25 degrees. Dry snow can still be found on N'ly aspects above treeline, and thin soft wind slabs exist on lee slopes.
Avalanche Summary
Loose avalanches up to sz 2 during the heat of the day. A notable avalanche was a glide crack release on the Mounds path earlier this week, and the glide crack on Teddy Bear Trees is opening up with the continued warmth.
Confidence
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
