Conditions are steadily improving, but it's not the typical Spring snowpack yet. Lots of great skiing out there, but steep terrain still requires an analytical approach. Take the time to dig and test before committing to big terrain.
Weather Forecast
Wednesday will be a mix of sun and cloud. Temperatures in the Alpine should climb to -8 Celsius with moderate westerly winds. Very light flurries expected for the rest of the week and into the weekend but accumulations will be minimal.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche activity was observed today.
Snowpack Summary
Trace amounts of new snow in the past 24hrs. Both surface and buried wind slabs are found in the Alpine, but these are not widespread. In some areas the surface snow is exhibiting very little wind effect. Sun crusts on solar aspects remained frozen for much of the day due to cool temperatures and light winds. The March 15 crust is down 30 to 50cm on solar aspects, but has been unreactive for several days. The midpack is very well settled and strong.
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.
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.