Elkhorns

The avalanche danger remains low in our area mountains. Normal springtime travel precautions should be taken. Avoid steep south-facing terrain in the afternoon and stay far back from cornice edges. A fall on a steep slope containing firm snow could end up turning into a fast, uncontrollable, and consequential slide.

On a side note - this is our last scheduled advisory of the season.

Forecast presented by @onxbackcountry. onX Backcountry is a GPS navigation and mapping tool designed with your backcountry objectives in mind, equipped with Avalanche Forecast and Slope Angle layers, Offline Maps and more.

Yesterday produced mostly clear skies and max temperatures at upper elevations in the high 30's. Ridgetop winds were in the teens out of the SW. The breeze helped keep the snow surface cool and south-facing slopes softened up just enough in the late afternoon to produce decent riding conditions. A hard freeze overnight combined with increasing cloud cover and southwest winds today will again keep the snow surface cool and no wet slide activity is expected at upper elevations on slopes facing the sun. At elevations below 5500', warmer temperatures may allow wet loose slides to be a potentiality on steep and rocky south-facing slopes. Avoid and stay out from underneath steep (>35 degree) south-facing slopes in the afternoon hours if you witness instability. 

The nightly hard freezes have allowed our snowpack to stabilize and normal springtime precautions should be taken. This means getting off and out from underneath steep slopes exposed to the sun in the afternoon if you start to witness roller ball activity or sink into the snow above your boot tops. You should also give overhanging cornice edges wide berth.  Another hazard to think about this time of year is the possibility of taking a fall on a steep slope containing firm snow, which could end up turning into a fast, uncontrollable, and consequential slide. Before you drop in on a steep slope with firm snow carefully evaluate the consequences if you lose an edge.

This is our last scheduled advisory of the season. We will continue to offer periodic updates as conditions warrant. Please, check the weather and observation pages regularly if you continue to recreate in the mountains this spring. Potent storm systems, much like the one coming in later today, are still a possibility and the avalanche danger can spike precipitously with these events. Also, watch temperatures closely. If mountain locations do not get a hard freeze - low temps in the mid to upper 20's overnight - for several nights in a row, this will likely create unstable conditions and spike the avalanche danger. Again, if you witness roller ball activity, see wet sluffs on steeper slopes, or sink in above your boot tops when you step off your sled or skis, you should think about moving to lower angle terrain and staying out from underneath steep slopes.