In a typical winter spring conditions means better stability and less avalanche danger for backcountry travelers. However, this is not a typical winter and as the snow continues to fall we will continue to suffer from some persistent weak layers. We felt it was more important than ever to increase awareness of this lingering danger and donated $5000 to help keep the CAIC forecasting through the end of May. We reached out to some of our other retail friends in the valley to raise another $5000 for the cause.

Read below what the CAIC is doing to continue fighting to keep people informed about avalanche dangers in the spring. As always consider making your own donation to the CAIC here and look for more great fundraising events to come.

"In April the CAIC shifts from winter to spring operations. The exact date changes each year based on conditions. We make this change as the avalanche conditions become more uniform across the state and as the number of observations we receive decreases, making it difficult to assign danger ratings with confidence. Avalanche season doesn’t end in April, so instead of issuing forecasts for each backcountry zone we issue a single discussion of avalanche conditions for the whole state. As we approach this transition, here is what you can expect for the rest of the spring, summer, and fall."

"We’ll continue to issue weather forecasts twice each day through the end of April. We typically issue a Statewide Avalanche forecast on SundayWednesday, and Friday by 3pm. This year because of support from Cripple Creek BackcountryThe North FaceBristlecone Mountain SportsRagged Mountain Sports, and Ute Mountaineer, we will be issuing zone forecasts for an additional week and then issuing the Statewide Avalanche forecast everyday through the end of April. In May we will issue the statewide forecast three times a week through Memorial Day. Our goal is to provide up-to-date and accurate avalanche information, so if conditions change we will update this product on any day it is warranted. We will also continue to issue Avalanche Watches, Avalanche Warnings, and Special Avalanche Statements any time the avalanche danger spikes or requires special attention. You can expect this through the summer and into the fall when we begin issuing regular products again on November 1."

Wetslide spring avalanche