The weather is changing Friday, so you need to stay alert to conditions that change with aspect, elevation and time of day. Watch for clues like a moist or wet snow surface that indicate its time to find colder snow or head for home.
Confidence
Fair - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Saturday
Weather Forecast
FRIDAY: Freezing level starting at 1500m rising to 2100m. Light SW winds at treeline, moderate SW winds at ridge-top. Cloud cover rapidly building to overcast by lunch. No significant precipitation during the day, 1 to 3mm of precipitation possible Friday night, less than 5cm total snowfall expected.SATURDAY: Freezing level hovering around 1600m. Moderate SW winds at treeline, Strong SW/W winds at ridge-top. 2 to 3mm precipitation, 2 to 6cm of snow possible. Overcast.SUNDAY: Freezing level starting at 1000m rising to 1500m. Light SW/W winds at treeline, Moderate W winds at ridge-top. Scattered cloud. Isolated flurries, no significant precipitation expected.
Avalanche Summary
Several cornice falls have been reported in the last few days, some of which have triggered slabs on slopes below, some which have not.
Snowpack Summary
Surface faceting is beginning to work on the 10 to 25cm cm generated by convective snow fall last weekend. The atmosphere has been unusually calm and wind effect is very isolated. This snow remains dry on north facing features above 2300m while corn is starting to form to ridge-top on south facing aspects. Moist snow is reported everywhere else. Just below this snow you will likely find the the late-March crust which is supportive to around 2000m. Moist snow underneath the late-March crust is ubiquitous in most of the region.Persistent weak layers in the mid-pack remain a lingering concern, although they seem to have gone dormant for the time being. In the north of the region, the mid-March crust/facet layer is down 40-60cm and the mid-February crust/facet/surface hoar layer is down about 80 cm. While weak layers formed earlier in the winter remain intact, they too are dormant at this time.
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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.