This will be the last forecast for the season, covering conditions through to Thursday when we make the transition to Spring Conditions.
Assess slopes as you travel and expect highly variable snow conditions with elevation, aspect, and time of day. Enjoy the spring skiing!
Recent snowfall and southerly winds may have formed pockets of wind slabs in lee areas in the alpine.
Use caution entering lee terrain features below ridges. The snow could slide easily where it rests on a hard melt-freeze crust or faceted snow.
Cornices are large and looming. Exposure to cornices should be minimized, especially during periods of warm temperatures or strong sun. Give them a wide berth when you are travelling on ridgelines and avoid overhead exposure to large cornices.
Warm air and the sun can quickly destabilize the upper snowpack, causing loose wet avalanches on steep, sun-exposed slopes.
Keep in mind that the snowpack can quickly lose strength when heat penetrates to deeper layers. Check for good overnight recovery - avoid slopes that do not get an overnight re-freeze.
MONDAY NIGHT: Mainly cloudy with periods of snowfall, up to 10 cm of accumulation in isolated areas. Freezing level lowering to 600 m. Light southwesterly winds.
TUESDAY: A mix of sun and cloud with light flurries. Freezing level rising to 1300 m in the afternoon. Light southerly winds.
WEDNESDAY: Partially cloudy. Freezing level rising to 1300 m in the afternoon. Light southwesterly winds.
THURSDAY: A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. Freezing level rising to 1300 m in the afternoon. Light to moderate northwesterly winds.
No new avalanches have been reported in the past week.
Looking forward to this week, we suspect pockets of wind slabs will exist in lee areas in the alpine. Wet loose avalanches may occur on steep solar aspects during periods of warm temperatures and strong sun. Cornice falls will be most likely when the weather is sunny, warm, or windy.
Up to 20 cm of recent snowfall above 2000 m decreases rapidly with elevation. This new snow overlies a heavily wind-affected surface in exposed terrain, the product of an intense wind event early last week. Moist or crusty surfaces exist to at least 1800 m on all aspects, and to mountain top on solar aspects. The mid and lower snowpack is generally strong, with no weak layers of concern at this time.
