Mon and Tues could see freezing levels as high as 3000m and intense solar radiation which will keep the danger level elevated. Start your trip early and finish early. Still winter conditions on N aspects, but all other slopes have crusts in the AM.
Confidence
Good - Freezing levels are uncertain
Weather Forecast
Sunny and warm again on monday with freezing levels climbing as high as 3100m. Winds will be light and no precipitation is expected. A storm is a approaching, but timing is unclear if it will arrive Wednesday or Thursday.
Avalanche Summary
Numerous solar triggered loose wet slides up to size 2.0 were observed today. A cornice triggered size 2.5 slab avalanche occurred sometime in the past 36 hours on a steep NW aspect in the alpine near Chester Lake. Cornice failures have triggered very large slides on underlying slopes over the past week, and remain active with the recent intense solar radiation.
Snowpack Summary
True North aspects remain dry all the way to valley floor, but all other slopes (all aspects, all elevations) have one or more crusts. These crusts were melting and solar triggering of avalanches began on SE aspects by 11:00am and then continued around to the S, then W aspects in the afternoon. Pockets of windslab exist at alpine and treeline elevations on lee aspects and stability tests indicate that these slabs are skier triggerable in steep and unsupported terrain. Cornices are quite large. the February surface hoar and the basal facets have become a concern again as the snowpack transitions to spring-time conditions. Very large avalanches are expected if these layers are triggered by solar radiation and/or cornice failures. Human triggering is also possible from shallow snowpack areas.
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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.
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.