Timing is everything in the spring. The Winter Permit System is no longer in effect so get an early start! Warm temps will prevent strong overnight crust recoveries. Set realistic objectives and be prepared to turn back if the crust is breaking down.
Weather Forecast
We may see a bit of connectivity today, but mostly clear skies are expected with an alpine high of 5'C. Rapid warming is forecast for Sun and Mon with freezing levels rising to well over mountaintop and highs of 15'C. Temps are not expected to fall below freezing overnight, resulting in a weak (if any) overnight crust recovery.
Snowpack Summary
The melt-freeze crust on the surface is over 10cm thick, with the top ~5cm breaking down to "corn" by early afternoon. The crust will become weaker with forecast warm overnight temps. Below this crust is ~60cm of weak, moist snow. On steep, N'ly aspects above ~2300m the snow remains dry. At low elevations the snow is rapidly receding.
Avalanche Summary
There has been very little avalanche activity lately, but sporadic large avalanches continue to occur. On Tuesday, a size 3 wet slab on the SW face of Cheops Mountain at about 2500 meters. Glide-cracks are opening up on many slopes and can fail unpredictably. Yesterday NW of the park a size 3 deep persistent slab avalanche occurred on a SE aspect.
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.
Wet Slabs
Wet Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) that is generally moist or wet when the flow of liquid water weakens the bond between the slab and the surface below (snow or ground). They often occur during prolonged warming events and/or rain-on-snow events. Wet Slabs can be very unpredictable and destructive.