Spring conditions mean it's all about timing! Start and finish early to avoid slopes once the crusts break down.
Weather Forecast
Sunny skies today with freezing levels rising to 2000m, light ridge top winds and an alpine high of -1. Snow flurries are forecasted for Sunday, bringing 5cm of snow and light winds.
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 up to sz 2.5 during the heat of the day yesterday, MacDonald Gully #6 and Connaught slide path were the most notable. An impressive glide crack release on the Mounds path earlier this week came to within 40m of the highway and the glide crack on Teddy Bear Trees is opening up with the continued warmth.
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.
