Today is the last day of the winter permit system. New snow in the alpine accompanied by strong south winds will make things feel wintery up high and storm slabs will be reactive to human triggering.
Weather Forecast
A mix of sun and cloud today with isolated flurries. Freezing levels should remain below 1700m and winds will be moderate from the SW. More of the same for Mon and Tues, then a dramatic warm-up on Wed-Thurs with freezing levels rising to 3000+m and light precipitation.
Snowpack Summary
High elevation N aspects still hold a winter snowpack with surface windslab that may be sensitive to human triggering given the right location. On all other aspects, expect temperature and sun crusts until daytime warming softens the surface. The snowpack is isothermal below these surface crusts at tree-line and below tree-line elevations.
Avalanche Summary
No new activity has been observed. Glide cracks continue to widen with the Spring warming and are very difficult to predict when they will fail.
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.
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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.