The snowpack has not yet made the transition to Spring Conditions, but keep an eye on the effects of the intense April sun. Look to sheltered north aspects for good quality skiing.
Confidence
High - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain
Weather Forecast
Convective flurries are expected Monday with accumulations of up to 10cm. However, spring storms are difficult to forecast for precipitation amounts, so it is quite possible to receive significantly more, or less, snowfall then predicted. Winds will be light to moderate from the North. The freezing level is expected to be 1500m with Alpine temperatures near -8 °C. By mid-week warmer temperatures are likely with freezing levels as high as 2300m.
Avalanche Summary
A few avalanches were observed today in very steep Alpine terrain. These were generally small in size and consisted of mostly loose dry avalanches or small cornice chunks rolling down steep cliffs. No new slab avalanches were observed or reported today.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 15cm of new snow fell at Treeline in the past 24hrs. This new snow amount varies from valley to valley, and tends to taper to only a few cm's at lower elevations. Wind slabs are present in Alpine terrain, but are more isolated or absent at Treeline elevations. By early in the afternoon the snow was turning moist at lower elevations and despite the cloudy skies, solar aspects received some heat today. As previously reported the mid-pack remains dense and strong, but the basal layers are very weak consisting of anywhere between 50 and 100cm of facets sitting on the ground. Forecasters still have low confidence for traveling in large Alpine terrain, unless there has been widespread previous avalanching.
Problems
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.
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.