Good morning, this is Sue Burak with the Inyo National Forests Eastern
   Sierra Avalanche Center with an advisory posted on Sunday April 27,
   2008.

   MOUNTAIN WEATHER

   Morning temperatures are running several degrees warmer than yesterday.
   Morning temperatures are running about 30 to 34F at the 9,000 to 11,000
   ft elevations.

   Today will be a few degrees warmer at all elevations. West and
   southwest winds will increase this afternoon and the National Weather
   Service is calling for summer like afternoon cumulus buildup.

   Highs today will be in the 50s at the 8,000 to 11,000 ft elevations.
   Lows for Sunday night are forecasted to be in the low 30s. The winds
   return on Monday as another dry cold front approaches the area.
   Temperatures at the higher elevations will fall much more rapidly than
   the 8-9,000 ft elevations. Wind advisories and warnings are expected by
   Tuesday.

   SNOWPACK AND AVALANCHE DISCUSSION

   With morning temperatures in the 30s and a poor refreeze last night,
   there is going to be a lot of snowmelt generated today. There could be
   a lot of surface instability as melt water hits the ice lens and doesnt
   have anywhere to go except down slope.

   Reports from the Dana Plateau show elevation and aspect dependent snow
   conditions. The highest parts of the gullies remain firm with winter
   like snow in the middle of sheltered narrow gullies. There was a report
   of punching through a wind drift to the hard crust underneath. Over in
   the Powerhouse gullies, the snow was firm most of the day. A snowpit
   dug near 11,000 ft had the typical hard ice lens above winter snow that
   was -2 and -3 C. Another knife hard lens was found about 15 inches
   down.

   During the winter, unstable snow conditions are apparent through direct
   evidence such as whumpfing, shooting cracks, hollow sounding slabs or
   stability tests. In spring or wet snow, there are no readily apparent
   clues and tests like the compression test and Rutschblock test give
   inconclusive results. Slope and ski cuts are your best bets- even so,
   there is no way to know whether melt water produced at the surface is
   weakening the fine grained faceted winter snow or weakening thin coarse
   textured snow found above and below crusts.

   Get out early, follow the sun as slopes heat up and be home by early
   afternoon. There's great snow conditions to be had, but stay heads up
   in alpine areas and at upper elevations where the snowpack may be more
   winter-like.

   The avalanche danger rating today is LOW. By mid day, the avalanche
   danger will increase to MODERATE on steep high elevation slopes. Pay
   attention to how quickly the snow turns wet or slushy and move to
   another aspect if possible.

   BOTTOM LINE
   The avalanche danger rating today is LOW. By mid day, the avalanche
   danger will increase to MODERATE on steep high elevation slopes. Pay
   attention to how quickly the snow turns wet or slushy and move to
   another aspect if possible.

   Please note that the avalanche danger rating in this advisory expires
   in 24 hours. This advisory is our best interpretation of snow pack
   conditions and NWS forecasts issued today. Backcountry travelers should
   be aware that elevation and geographic distinctions are approximate and
   that a transition zone exists between upper and lower elevations.

   Avalanches do not happen by accident and most human involvement is a
   matter of choice not chance. Most avalanche accidents are caused by
   slab avalanches that are triggered by the victim of member of the
   victim's party. Even small slides can be dangerous. Always practice
   route finding skills and carry avalanche rescue gear. Remember that
   avalanche danger ratings are only general guidelines. Distinctions
   between geographic areas, elevations, slope aspects and slope angles
   should be made.