Spring conditions mean it's all about timing! Start and finish early to avoid slopes once the crusts break down. Poor overnight crust recovery due to above freezing temperatures up to 2000m.
Weather Forecast
A sunny start to the morning, cloud and trace precipitation starting just before noon, freezing level rising to 2000m. Skies clearing on Monday.
Snowpack Summary
We're into the spring melt freeze cycle. At valley bottom the crust this morning was 7cm thick and overlies an isothermal snowpack in most areas. Surface crusts have been breaking down by mid-afternoon on solar aspects steeper than 25 degrees. Dry snow can still be found on N'ly aspects above tree line and thin soft wind slabs exist on lee slopes.
Avalanche Summary
Loose wet avalanches observed yesterday during the heat of the day and on Friday, MacDonald Gully #6 and Connaught slide path were the most notable to size 2.5. An impressive glide crack release on the Mounds path earlier this week came to within 40m of the highway and numerous glide cracks are opening up at and below treeline.
Confidence
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.
