Starting and ending your day early is always a good idea this time of year.
Expect avalanche activity to increase on solar slopes as the day heats up.
Cornices will weaken with daytime warming. Pay attention to these large triggers lurking on ridge top features throughout the park.
Rising freezing levels and strong spring sun will weaken the upper snowpack. Avoid exposure to sun effected slopes in the afternoon. Use caution in steep terrain and around terrain traps, were even a small avalanche could have large consequences.
A MIN reported loose snow avalanches on the steep S slopes of Swiss Peak Wednesday.
Neighboring operations have been observing solar triggered loose snow avalanches out of steep terrain this week, up to size 3. As well as a few natural cornice failures up to size 2.5
Soft, surface storm slabs were reactive to ski cuts on steep slopes in the Mt Fidelity area at treeline on Monday. These were size 1.5 were running far due to the crusty bed surface.
~15 cm of storm snow fell early in the week above 1600. Below this new snow a crust is present on solar slopes in the alpine and on all aspects below 2400m. This crust has been a bed surface this week for small loose dry and storm slab avalanches. Both of these problems have been human and naturally triggered.
Rising freezing levels will rapidly deteriorate the upper snowpack as spring conditions return to treeline and into the alpine.
Expect variable conditions below treeline.
A ridge of high pressure maintains clear skies with rising freezing levels in to the weekend.
Tonight Clear w/ cloudy periods. Alpine Low +2°C. Light South Ridge winds. Freezing Level (FZL) 1700m.
Friday Sunny. Alpine High +7°C. Light W wind. FZL 2800m.
Sat A mix of sun and cloud. Alpine Low 4 °C, High 8 °C. Wind Light. FZL 2800m.
Sun A mix of sun and cloud. Alpine Low 0 °C, High 4 °C. Light NW wind. FZL 2600m.
