Sunshine can have a powerful effect on stability - and your desire to push into aggressive terrain. Deep instabilities are still present and have produced recent large avalanches.
Watch out for wind-loaded features, especially near ridge crests, rollovers, and in steep terrain. If triggered, wind slabs may step down to deeper layers, resulting in larger avalanches.
Weak layers remain a concern, especially in north-facing terrain and where snowpack depth is variable. Avoid steep and shallow rocky features at upper elevations. These layers have caused recent very large avalanches in the region.
Wet loose avalanches are possible in recent snow on steep sun exposed slopes.
A widespread avalanche cycle occurred in the region mid last week, with avalanches up to size 3.5 (very large) reported. In many cases, storm slabs or wet avalanches stepped down to deeper persistent weak layers.
Natural avalanche activity has since tapered off, but human-triggered avalanches remain possible to likely at upper elevations.
Up to 20 cm of moist snow from Saturday sits over a crust forming over a wet upper snowpack at most elevations. In the high alpine, southerly wind has likely redistributed the recent snow into deeper deposits on northerly aspects.
The early March weak layer of facets, or surface hoar on a crust, is now down 60 to 130 cm. Very large avalanches (up to size 3.5) were reported on this layer this past week. Weak layers formed in mid-February and late-January are now buried 140 to 200 cm deep.
Saturday night
Clear. 5 to 15 km/h south ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom.
Sunday
Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h southeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Daytime freezing level 2000 m.
Monday
Mostly cloudy with 1 to 5 cm of snow above 1500 m, light rain below. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Daytime freezing level 2000 m.
Tuesday
A mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Daytime freezing level 2000 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
