After the wind and cold yesterday it was great to wake up to blue skies. Lots of clouds moving in up there but plenty of sun still breaking through though it’s supposed to cloud over bringing snow tonight. First day of the Japanese long weekend so busier than usual but delicious groomers to be had by all.
Backcountry Travel Advisory:
Saturday and some sunshine will mean a lot of people hiking today. Pick conservative lines and use good group control and safety measures. There are still multiple shear layers in the upper 1 m of the snow pack that may propagate and create avalanches in steep moderate and complicated terrain. Alpine bowls and chutes with big consequences should be avoided or reassessed for stability. Do not get fooled by the Ice Crust of January 12 as it is still a lingering week layer and faceting around this layer is prominent and depth hoar has also been found around this layer in multiple areas. Shear and compression tests have found moderate results on this layer and the shear plane is very clean and could produce problems so do assess stability of this layer before jumping in.
Take due care out there and take mellow lines in simple terrain.
Avalanche Hazard:
Alpine: High
Tree line: High
Below Tree Line: Considerable
See Below for International Danger scale classifications or click on the Canadian Avalanche Association web page for the International Danger Scale.
TEMPERATURE IN THE VILLAGE:
-6 degrees C.
TEMPERATURE AT TOP OF MOUNTAIN:
-10 degrees C.
WIND:
Changing Westerlies.
VISIBILITY:
Average due to snow
*******************************************
Happo-One:
BASE DEPTH: 100 cm(at the base); 260 cm(at 1500m)
Goryu/47:
BASE DEPTH:105 cm(at the base); 305 cm(at 1500m)
Tsugaike Kogen:
BASE DEPTH: 160 cm(at the base); 265 cm(at 1500m)
********************************************
LIFT OPERATION:
Goryu Toomi, Hakuba 47, Happo-One, Tsugaike Kogen, Iwatake, Cortina, Sanosaka, Sun Alpina, Minekata, Hakuba Highland, Yanaba, all open.