Loose Wet
- All elevations
- Likelihood
- Likely
- Size
- 1
Loose wet avalanches are likely on sunny slopes as the freezing level rises on Sunday.
Avalanche forecast
View on mapAoraki/Mt Cook
New Zealand Avalanche Advisory
Avalanche danger
- High Alpine · above 2,000 m
- 2 · Moderate
- Alpine · 1,500 m–2,000 m
- 2 · Moderate
- Sub Alpine · below 1,500 m
- 1 · Low
Out of date — this forecast expired 3 weeks ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.
Highlights
The snowpack settling but slab avalanches are still possible in loaded areas or at higher elevations near the Divide. Avoid steep, loaded entries and unsupported slopes.
Avalanche problems
Wind Slabs
- All elevations
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 2
Variable winds during the last storm have built wind slab on all aspects above 1700m. In places this is buried by powder snow and may not be obvious from the surface. This is healing, but could still produce avalanches large enough to bury a person. Watch out for steep, unsupported terrain and bulging convex slopes.
Strong westerly winds could build new wind slab near the divide in the high alpine on Sunday afternoon. Watch for blowing snow and stay off freshly loaded slopes in this area.
Recent Avalanche Activity
1/8: Two loose wet avalanches around size 1.5 were seen running in Pinnacle stream out of steep terrain on a rocky, sunny face at around 1pm.
31/7: Numerous size 2 and 3 naturally triggered avalanches running along the Divide. Most notable was a size 3 wind slab under Mt Cadogan that ran to valley bottom at 10:00 on Friday the 31st.
Other observations have been limited by bad weather.
Current Snowpack Conditions
An estimated 100cm of new snow has fallen about the Divide, tapering to 60cm in the Liebigs, and 20-40cm in the eastern part of the forecast area above around 1500m on the 30th and 31st. In the Burnett Mountains, the new snow is mostly right side up, with around 20cm powder snow over a 20cm soft windslab sitting on 5cm of loose graupel. This structure produced propagating ECTs with hard loading on the top of the graupel layer but appears to be healing. Patches of rain crust are exposed below around 1700m. Suncrust is forming on solar aspects.
The lower pack is generally well settled, and includes a mix of slick crusts in areas exposed to west and northwesterly winds, windpressed snow in deposition zones on east and south facing terrain near ridgeline, and loose, faceted powder in sheltered areas.
Mountain Weather
Mainly fine to the east, but a few showers to the west, falling as snow to 1200 metres.
Wind at 1000 metres: Light. Westerlies 30 km/h developing about midday.
Wind at 2000 metres: Southwesterly 45 km/h, rising to westerly gale 65 km/h in the afternoon.
Wind at 3000 metres: Southwesterly 45 km/h, rising to westerly gale 65 km/h in the afternoon.
Freezing level: 1000 metres, lifting to 1500 metres before dawn.
Sliding Danger
Ridgelines and exposed areas have been scoured back to slick crusts in places. Crampons and an ice axe are a good idea for ridge travel.
Forecast Confidence
Moderate
- We are confident due to a stable weather pattern.
- We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.
New Zealand Avalanche Advisory (NZ Mountain Safety Council)