Large cornices may fail under the weight of a human. Give them a wide berth when travelling on ridges and watch for signs that they may be weakening with extended sun exposure.
Information is very limited this time of year. Please consider sharing your observations to the MIN.
Cornices have likely grown large recently but are generally not expected to fail naturally with the current cold conditions. However, human-triggered cornices are possible so give cornices a wide berth when travelling on ridges and watch for signs that they may be weakening if they are exposed to extended periods of sun.
Thursday night: Partly cloudy, light east wind, treeline low around -12 °C.
Friday: A mix of sun and cloud, light variable wind, treeline high around -4 °C.
Saturday: Mainly sunny in the morning, a mix of sun and cloud in the afternoon, light east wind, treeline high around -2 °C.
Sunday: A mix of sun and cloud, light west wind, treeline high around -1 °C.
No new avalanches were reported over the past few days.
Observations are very limited this time of year. If you are getting out in the backcountry, please consider contributing to the Mountain Information Network.
Up to 15 cm of snow sits on a widespread melt-freeze crust which formed during the major warming event on April 8. Periods of strong northeast wind on Monday and Tuesday have redistributed this recent snow in exposed terrain forming wind slabs which are now expected to have stabilized in most areas. Cornices have likely grown large recently but are expected to be relatively stable with the current cold temperatures. A new sun crust may now be forming on steep sun-exposed slopes.
Multiple crusts exist in the upper snowpack which are currently well bonded with the ongoing cold conditions. The middle and lower snowpack are currently well settled and strong.
