The snowpack is very weak due to continued warm temps. Over the next few days strong sun and very warm temperatures will cause danger to rise quickly. It sure feels like summer; maybe it's time to consider pulling out your bike or rock shoes?
Weather Forecast
Today and Friday are forecast to be sunny and very warm! Freezing levels are expected to rise as high as 3500m, with alpine temps in the shade reaching 10'C. Add the sun to that and it will feel tropical. Temps are expected to stay above freezing overnight, so even an early start won't help on Friday. By Sat we should get an overnight recovery.
Snowpack Summary
At treeline and above a ~30cm storm slab overlies a 3 cm thick crust. Below the crust the upper ~70cm of snow is warm, moist and weak. Sustained S'ly winds at ridgetop will have built deeper, more cohesive slabs on lee and cross-loaded slopes. At 1300m the surface crust that formed overnight is only 3cm thick with a very weak overnight recovery.
Avalanche Summary
Yesterday a skier triggered a size 2.5 on the headwall of Youngs Peak; a W aspect at ~2675m. The avalanche was 20-80cm deep and ran 150m. Luckily the skier was not buried. In addition a few loose wet natural avalanches, mostly size 2 but one size 3, were observed running into valley bottoms.
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.
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
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.