Spring conditions mean it's all about timing! Start and finish early to avoid slopes before the crusts break down!
Weather Forecast
Mainly sunny today, with a chance of convective clouds this afternoon. The alpine may reach -2 on polar aspects, freezing levels will rise above 2000m, and winds will stay light. High pressure and clear skies will linger until Wednesday, then we get back into a zonal flow from the SW. Thursday to Sunday we could see up to 40mm of precipitation.
Snowpack Summary
We are now into a spring melt freeze cycle. We have a strong surface crust this morning, after a cool, clear evening. Surface crusts will break down by mid-afternoon on steep solar aspects, and BTL. Dry snow can still be found on N'ly aspects above tree line and thin soft wind slabs exist on lee slopes.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed in the highway corridor, or reported from the backcountry yesterday. Small loose avalanches are possible on steep solar aspects with the strong solar impact today. Numerous glide cracks were opening up and failing at and below treeline, on solar aspects last week.
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.