Spring ski touring is here. If timing, aspect and elevation are thought out and planned well, the skiing can be quite good. Start early and look to the cold aspects for the best skiing.
Weather Forecast
Light to moderate winds in the alpine overnight tonight. Temps will be steady at the -10C mark for the next 36 hours. No significant snow is expected, however if the current convective pattern continues, there will be ongoing flurries tonight and tomorrow.
Avalanche Summary
nothing new today.
Snowpack Summary
Flurries today gave another 5-10cm of new snow. Like the other storms, this snow is settling very fast. The Mar15th crust is down 20-30 with an improving bond. The top 50cm of the snowpack varies greatly depending on aspect and elevation. Solar aspects and areas below 2100m have a series of crusts, while the polar aspects and high areas are much drier. In both cases, the snowpack is well settled and well bonded. Ski quality on the other hand is very different from area to area. Deeper down, the persistent layers have healed up with the Dec15th still apparent, but not reacting in tests.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.