Typical spring conditions with an overnight refreeze creating a crust on the surface of the snowpack. While the crust is strong so is your stability. Be cautious when this crust is no longer present - Strong sun today!
Weather Forecast
Clearing skies for today with freezing levels from 2000m to 2500m. A storm is predicted to begin tonight and really hit on Friday, with precipitation amounts in the 20-25mm range and warm temperatures.
Snowpack Summary
Moist snow in the snowpack has crusted over with just below freezing temperatures for a short period overnight. On due north aspects there may still be dry snow to be found at tree line and above, but yesterday a party skiing below treeline on a North aspect reported isothermal conditions and dangerous deep sluffing in steep terrain.
Avalanche Summary
3 natural moist to wet avalanches from size 1.5 to 2.5 along the highway corridor. Many recent glide crack avalanches.Numerous loose wet avalanches to size 3.0 in the backcountry on solar aspects in the last few days.
Confidence
Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain
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.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.