A small quantity of snow in the West over the past 24 hours. Very limited new snow further East.
Be prepared to encounter highly variable surface conditions at the moment (areas of cold dry snow, wind hammered hard snow, firm crusts).
A small amount of new snow and strong Northerly winds on Friday. Isolated pockets of Wind Slab may exist especially, on South facing slopes above about 1700m. Avoid ridge line entry points and other steep unsupported slopes if you discover stiff, wind driven snow.
No avalanche activity recorded recently.
If you see evidence of avalanches in the back country please enter a Public Observation.
A small amount of snow (5 - 8cm) in the West over the past 24 hours. A dusting further East. The underlying pack is mostly well consolidated. Having said that, facets and depth hoar (weak, sugary forms) have been found in places. These pockets of questionable strength appear to be reasonably isolated and are most likely to exist on slopes facing East to South. You would be wise to do some investigation before committing to steep, shady terrain.
Saturday - partly cloudy with isolated showers. Light to moderate North West winds dying out in the morning. Freezing level - 2000m dropping to 1700m at night.
Recent gales have stripped many West facing areas and ridge lines back to icy crusts. Also, keep in mind that the underlying pack remains shallow especially, at lower elevations. Rocks and icy areas may be lurking below a thin cover of fresh snow. Consider carrying ski crampons and or an ice axe and crampons.
High
New Zealand Avalanche Advisory (NZ Mountain Safety Council)
