The National Weather Service Forecasts-

TODAY...SUNNY. HIGHS AROUND 48. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH
SHIFTING TO THE NORTHEAST IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS AROUND 30. NORTHEAST WIND 10 MPH SHIFTING TO THE SOUTHEAST LATE.

MONDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS AROUND 48. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 MPH
SHIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST IN THE AFTERNOON.

Yesterday temperatures got quite warm and did not go below freezing overnight at tram summit elevations. Eaglecrest went just below freezing but not for a long period of time.

Todays forecast calls for the highest temp since last fall. The radiant energy from the spring sun is making a big effect.

Over the last few days we have seen spring wet snow avalanches on sunny slopes during the heat of the day and into the evenings.

These conditions will continue.

We have also seen our annual glide cracks expanding at increased rates in typical paths. Yesterday we noted the first full depth climax glide avalanche release in the Eaglecrest region.

With increased temps and little to no refreezing overnight this glide avalanche problem remains a concern.

Avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE today.

Natural avalanches are likely on sun affected slopes. Human triggered avalanches are possible in steep faces with sun exposure.

Be extremely cautious on slopes with glide cracks opening. Do not spend time below glide cracks in areas that may possibly be affected by these full depth avalanches.

As the sun takes affect during the day think of lower angle slopes or consider finding shaded areas on slopes with less sun affect. Be extremely cautious out there folks lets end this great ski season on a safe note.

Glide avalanches:

Glide occurs when the entire snowpack slowly slides as a unit on the ground, similar to a glacier. Don't mistake glide for the catastrophic release of a slab avalanche that breaks to the ground. Glide is a slow process, that usually occurs over several days. Glide occurs because melt water lubricates the ground and allows the overlying snowpack to slowly \"glide\" downhill. Usually, they don't ever produce an avalanche but occasionally they release catastrophically as a glide avalanche. So the presence of glide cracks in the snow do not necessarily mean danger. It's often difficult for a person to trigger a glide avalanche but at the same time it's not smart to be mucking around on top of them and especially not smart to camp under them.

We tend to find them in wet climates and when they occur in dry climates they do so in spring when water percolated through the snow or sometimes during mid winter thaws.

When do they come down? Like an icefall, they come down randomly in time--when they're good and ready--not before. You would think that they would come down during the heat of the day or when melt water running along the ground reaches its maximum. But oddly enough, they tend to release just as often with the arrival of cold temperatures following melting as during melting itself. It's hard to play a trend with glide avalanches. They come down when they're good and ready and it's impossible to tell when that is. Just don't spend much time underneath them.