Be prepared to manage wet-loose sluff avalanches in steep terrain as temperatures rise today. Any remaining isolated wind slabs that formed Monday and Tuesday and that aren’t yet settled may become unstable as they warm further today. Natural and human-triggered avalanches are unlikely but beware of mushy snow as it grows deeper than the top of your boot. Avalanche danger today is LOW.
Falling ice and undermined snow in Tuckerman Ravine is an increasing problem. Limit your time on slopes beneath frozen waterfalls to avoid falling ice. Lunch Rocks, a.k.a. Crunch Rocks, is in the bullseye of this problem and has been the scene of serious injuries and fatalities in the past.
As surface snow continues to melt, it creates a layer of wet slushy snow. The sloppy snow will be easy to push beneath your skis and will move underfoot, possibly carrying you. Be careful in steep terrain where falls have consequences.
Wind slabs formed Monday were wetted by melting surface snow on Tuesday. Warmer temperatures and more sun today will continue to warm these recent wind slabs. Distribution limits this avalanche problem to the deepest pockets of new snow which will be found in wind sheltered areas behind and under rock buttresses and under some steep terrain features. Look for the larger pillows of smooth snow and pay attention to boot penetration as you move around. Staying off of the deeper pockets will allow you to avoid this avalanche problem. The northern parts of the range received more snow Monday and may have larger wind slabs than more southern and eastern ravines.
Wet slab concerns today, and over this warming spell, are mostly limited to the recent snow in the upper snowpack. Warming, wetting and freezing cycles at the end of March have likely stabilized deeper weak layers, lessening but not eliminating our concerns for a deep wet slab.
Much warmer weather through Saturday and possibly Sunday will keep middle and upper elevations above freezing, and until the snowpack becomes isothermal, deeper instabilities remain a possibility, however remote. Warm temperatures also bring spring hazards including:
The snowpack at all elevations has changed dramatically over the past week or so due to several days with warm temperatures and rain followed by unseasonably cold weather and daily melting.
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Your avalanche, snowpack, or weather observations are extremely valuable to the forecasters at MWAC. Help create a more accurate avalanche forecast by submitting your observations here.
Listen to the weekly MWAC Outreach Podcast provided by Ski The Whites. Discussions include snowpack information, weekend outlook, and general avalanche related info.
The Harvard Cabin is now closed for the season. There is no access to the breezeway at HoJos.
Please Remember:
For more information contact the US Forest Service Snow Rangers, AMC visitor services staff at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, or the caretakers at Hermit Lake Shelters or seasonally at the Harvard Cabin (generally December 1 through March 31). The Mount Washington Ski Patrol is also available on spring weekends.
