Spring down low, winter up high.
It’s looking like it will be a beautiful weekend with sunshine and warming temperatures. Great riding will likely be found on shady and sheltered terrain at upper elevations.
Winter has put up quite the fight this year and spring has not yet sprung in the alpine where the snowpack is still mostly dry with numerous crusts throughout. It hasn’t yet undergone its transformation to a diurnal melt/ freeze cycle that slowly warms the snowpack from the top down, making the layering much more homogeneous.
As freezing levels begin to climb towards mountaintops and remain elevated overnight, the likelihood of very large natural avalanches will increase, especially on days with strong solar radiation. It’s very difficult to predict the exact timing of when these avalanches will occur. In my experience, these events most commonly take place after several days when freezing levels reach the mountaintops and remain elevated overnight.
There will be many days this spring where daytime warming is followed by a solid overnight freeze. On these days, the standard strategy is to start very early in the morning and be out of avalanche terrain before the heat of the day impacts the snowpack. It is the days when there is no re-freeze at night that you should be especially cautious.
It’s looking unlikely there will be elevated nighttime temperatures over the weekend but it’s going to happen at some point this spring. For those diehards that aren’t quite ready to get on their bikes and plan to continue playing in the snow, the best advice I can give is to be prepared to make conservative terrain choices when this warming trend does occur. This means avoiding all avalanche paths and slopes that are capable of producing large avalanches.
This is the final weekly update for the season. Daily forecasts are scheduled to end Monday, April 25. Have fun and play safe out there!
CONDITIONS MAY VARY AND CAN CHANGE RAPIDLY Check for the most current conditions before heading out into the backcountry. Daily updates for the areas adjacent to Whistler Blackcomb are available at 604-938-7676, on Whistler Blackcomb's snow and weather report or Avalanche Canada's website.
