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backcountry advice

BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE ADVISORY As of Wednesday, April 7 Moderate North winds over the weekend formed some isolated pockets of hard wind-slabs up to 50cm in depth on south facing aspects. Conditions are extremely variable.

BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE ADVISORY As of Wednesday, April 7 Moderate North winds over the weekend formed some isolated pockets of hard wind-slabs up to 50cm in depth on south facing aspects. Conditions are extremely variable. Some aspects are scoured down to a melt freeze crust. Last night we received 4cm of new snow accompanied by moderate winds from the south-easterly direction. Soft slabs of up to 30cm in depth were observed to be reactive to ski testing this morning on some isolated lee slopes as well as in some cross-loaded terrain features. On some slopes an easy shear was observed at the interface of the most recent wind-slab and the underlying melt-freeze crust, while on more north facing aspects there was a moderate shear at the interface with the old snow surface which was affected by the north winds during the past weekend. The wind can do amazing things with a bit of new snow, particularly if there is a good fetch where any snow available for transport is picked up and deposited in the avalanche start zones. The weather forecast is calling for a continuation of the same cool and unstable weather pattern that we have seen during the past few weeks. The sun will tease us occasionally in between systems but unfortunately no strong blocking ridges are forecast to give us any extended periods of sunshine. The Backcountry Avalanche Danger is currently rated as Moderate, but will likely increase to at least Considerable with continued snowfall and wind-loading. Conditions may vary and can change rapidly. Call 938-7676 or consult your local ski patrol for the most current conditions.