T'is the season to travel early!
Danger rises with daytime warming, especially when direct sun is striking the slopes and softening the crust.
Cold, wintry snow can be found in Alpine polar aspects, along with wind slabs and large cornices.
Up to 35cm of storm snow overlies a hard crust at treeline elevation and above! Winds are forecast to 40km/ph on Friday night, which will form wind slabs in the Alpine and exposed areas of treeline.
House-sized cornices are perched along ridge crests throughout the area. With warming temps, these phat beasts lose strength and can fail naturally or with human loads. Give them a wide berth; they can pull back across the ridge when they drop.
The likelihood of wet, loose avalanches increases with daytime warming, especially on slopes directly in the sun. The heavy, wet mass of avalanches has the potential to trigger deep persistent wet slabs.
A cycle of storms approaching the coast are making their way inland. Expect a mixed bag of weather this weekend; mostly flurries at higher elevations with gusty winds, showers at lower elevations, and possibly some sun poking through. We could see another 10cm over the weekend and maybe 20cm on Monday at higher elevations.
15-35cm of new snow fell at Treeline and above in the last 36hrs (drainage dependant) burying a variety of surfaces including wind slabs, solar crusts to mountain top, and a melt/freeze crust to 2200m. Northerly slopes in the Alpine hold cold, wintery snow. Late season cornices are LARGE!
No new avalanches observed on Wed/Thurs with the cooler temps. The widespread natural avalanche cycle from Mon/Tues was driven primarily by strong solar input on SE through to W aspects, especially at lower elevations. Wet slabs, deep persistent slabs, glides, and loose wets were gouging to ground, breaking trees, and running full path.
