West Slopes South

Avalanche conditions have been generally safe for several days, and Thursday’s cooler temperatures and mostly cloudy skies should only make the snowpack more stable. Instead, plan to deal with potentially icy slopes. In some places, a simple slip could turn into a long, uncontrolled fall.

No, Thursday's cooler temperatures and cloudy skies don’t mark the end of this persistent high pressure ridge, but they do mark a notable change. Generally, we’ve seen more spring-like conditions at middle and upper elevations over the past week. However, mostly thin clouds should help minimize the influence of the sun and limit the softening of the snow surface. If the clouds are thin enough, you could see a little bit of spring snow on steeper southerly slopes. Not surprisingly, with the snowpack locked up, we’re expecting generally safe avalanche conditions. 

Even under low danger, a small rogue block of snow could shed from a rocky face or corniced ridgeline somewhere in the zone. So, don’t let the green map cause you to throw safe travel habits out the window. 

The greatest danger will likely be travel hazards. Firm, sometimes icy, slopes exist in most areas. They could result in long, scary falls for the unwary traveler. On more shaded aspects expect variable conditions with crunchy crust, icy spots, and small patches of softer snow. Large rain runnels from the last storm make most slopes uneven and travel slow. Then there are all the obstacles: trees, holes, rocks, creeks, bushes, logs, and bare ground. The snowpack is much thinner than normal for this time of year. Even simple, common travel takes much longer than expected.