Backcountry Conditions Report – Friday 19 July 2024

July 19th, 2024
Fun skiing on a supportive crust with cold windblown snow could be found in the high alpine on Thursday in NSW during a short break in the weather.

Mountainwatch | Mountain Safety Collective

The past week saw around 20cm of new snow on Monday and Tuesday that quickly turned moist at lower elevations due to mild temperatures below 1700m. In the higher alpine areas, this resulted in significant wind loading on South East aspects, with 70-100cm of wind blown snow sitting on top of the hard ice crust that formed on July 11.

In NSW on Wednesday this resulted in reports of a machine-triggered wind slab avalanche at 1980m and extensive whumpfing (Fracture of a lower snow layer that causes an upper layer to collapse creating a “whumpfing” sound) around Guthega, indicating a higher degree of snowpack instability, but no reports of human-triggered avalanches were received.

By Thursday, an extensive crust had formed on all aspects and elevations in both NSW and Victoria that varied from being supportive to breakable depending on aspect and elevation. In some areas, this crust was supportive and topped by a thin layer of windblown snow that resulted in excellent riding conditions during a break in the weather on Thursday.

Lower elevations and trailheads still have very thin cover and extensive vegetation and rocks, but recent reports indicate snow cover in NSW is now skiable below the treeline to around 1700m.

As of the morning of Friday 19th July, the next cold front has arrived with vigour accompanied by a Severe Weather Warning from the Bureau of Meteorology. The associated damaging winds will put many lifts on wind hold through Friday before blizzard conditions set in across the weekend. Most forecasters are predicting 50cm+ of new snow from this system which will be a welcome top up for the backcountry and resorts.

If you’re planning any backcountry tours, the next break in the weather is unlikely to be before next Tuesday 23rd July with yet another cold front forecast to arrive later next week.

Check the free Backcountry Conditions Reports from Mountain Safety Collective for daily updates.