Date: 22/07/2020
Observations Summary
There is a mixed bag in the mountains currently.
In the alpine, wind slabs exist in isolated lee features from NW winds. These are not bonding well to the previous surface (crust) and field teams avoided steep convex loaded slopes. There are also areas of localised ice making for interesting skiing at times. That said, good turns were found on low angle supported terrain.
In the sub-alpine, the snowpack is well settled and supportive. There is a breakable crust on southerly aspects whilst northerly aspects were moist from the sun and warm temperatures.
Alpine Conditions
Sub-Alpine Conditions
Mountain environments can be categorised as above or below the tree line, thus Alpine and Subalpine respectively. Find out more about how these types of terrain can create or mitigate backcountry hazards here.
Travel & Terrain advice:
The localised ice hazard remains unchanged. It is a concern particularly on windward slopes where snow has been stripped away. Also, solar aspects will have refrozen overnight so expect them to be icy to start the day. Given the weather forecast, these slopes will soften again as the day goes on. Beware of slide risk on steep slopes.
In the alpine, isolated windslabs have been formed by NW winds and are not bonding well to the previous surface. Avoid steep wind-loaded features and choose well supported terrain.
Advisory Confidence: STRONG
We need your eyes too. If you’ve been touring in the Alpine National Park we’d love to know what you have seen. Every little bit helps.
Weather Summary
Patchy fog in the early morning. Mostly sunny day. Winds westerly 15 to 25 km/h becoming light in the late afternoon. (Source: BOM)