It'll be a great weekend to be in the mountains with sunshine and warm weather. But this means managing overhead hazard will be very important. Also, continue to be curious about the bond at the mid-February crust layer.
Cornices are waking up with warm temperatures. Cornices can be unpredictable so it's best to avoid them all together during these warm spells.
It's been warm and wet loose avalanches have been reported. Expect this problem to continue with warm temperatures through the weekend and manage overhead hazard accordingly.
Friday night: Mainly clear. No precipitation. Light north winds. -10°C
Saturday: A mix of sun and clouds. No precipitation. Moderate north wind. A high of -2°C and a low of -8°C. Freezing levels around 1300m
Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds. Little precipitation but convective flurries possible . Moderate to strong winds from the north. A high of +2°C and a low of -5°C. Freezing levels rising to 2000m.
Monday: Mainly clear. No precipitation. Moderate winds from the north. A high of 0°C and a low of -5°C. Freezing levels at 1500m.
Small loose wet avalanche were still being reported as of Friday afternoon.
The field team reported 2 slab avalanches that had been triggered by cornices earlier in the week. Check out the MIN here.
40-60cm of well settled and bonded snow sits above the mid-February crust. Though this layer has not produced avalanche activity, professionals in the area are still treating it with suspicion. I encourage you to do the same. The upper snowpack is moist below 1500m due to warm temperatures. Cornices are looming in alpine areas.
The lower snowpack is well bridged by the mid-February crust and triggering avalanches below this layer is unlikely at this time.
