Loose wet avalanches are the most frequent avalanche problem in the spring. Unconsolidated new snow or saturated old snow sheds off steep terrain with rising temperatures, sun, or rain. These slides release from a single point but produce a surprisingly powerful amount of debris if they run long distances or entrain a lot of snow.  Rollerballs, pinwheels, or natural sluffs warn of decreasing stability. Move to colder snow or lower angled terrain when the snow becomes slushy or gloppy, and use extra caution below long, confined gullies.   

Spring snowstorms often mean a return to winter-like conditions and a revival of wind slab, storm slab, and loose dry avalanche concerns. The danger these pose depends on the amount of new and drifted snow that accumulates, with more snow equaling larger, longer-running avalanches. Their sensitivity to human triggers tends to diminish after several days. During active weather, monitor storm totals, wind loading patterns, and bonding of the new snow to old snow surfaces, particularly melt-freeze crusts. Shooting cracks, more than a foot of new snow, or blowing snow are signs to stay off terrain steeper than 35 degrees. 

Wet slab avalanches usually fail during prolonged or intense warmups, as meltwater pools and compromises the strength of deeply-buried weak layers. Your best defense is to travel early while the snowpack is frozen. If the snowpack doesn’t refreeze overnight, avoid steep terrain. Post-holing in wet snow is a sign you’re not welcome in avalanche terrain. Meltwater in the snowpack can also lubricate the ground, resulting in unpredictable catastrophic glide avalanches. Avoid traveling below slopes with glide cracks or large, overhanging cornices, especially during or shortly after warmups. These conditions can result in very destructive debris that runs across all elevation bands onto bare ground.