Avoid avalanche terrain. The snowpack is not adjusting well to the rapid change to warm temperatures and intense solar radiation.
Weather Forecast
This week's weather looks sunny and hot for the duration. Tuesday should see high temperatures near +6 at ridge-top and freezing levels climbing to 3100m. Winds will be light from the North. Wednesday and Thursday look similar, if not a bit warmer.
Avalanche Summary
More avalanche activity again today, with slides up to size 2.5. Numerous loose wet avalanches occurred at all elevations. At Treeline and Alpine elevations wind slabs and deep persistent slabs were again active on all aspects.
Snowpack Summary
As we quickly enter spring, the alpine snowpack is changing...FAST! The sudden spike in temperatures and solar exposure are making crusts more of a widespread layer. Expect them on any slope that sees the sun. On the shaded aspects, we have those lingering wind slabs to worry about. All evidence points to these wind slabs being very sensitive to temperature changes. The lack of support within the snowpack is preventing any sort of anchoring. Treeline has a similar issue, only the wind slabs are thinner and not as widespread. The treeline slabs may be even touchier because of their thin nature and shorter recover (re-freeze) time at night.To share an opinion, this year's snowpack has a character that we haven't seen before. We have a long history with facets and depth hoar, but this year's crop is off the charts. As such, we feel it's necessary to acknowledge the uncertainty by avoiding large terrain right now. The snowpack has no trustworthy qualities right now.
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.
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.