According to Yahoo, SKY news is reporting that an avalance warning has been issued today for the Lake District, and the Helvellyn area in particular.
“The Lake District National Park Authority says conditions have rarely been so bad. Fell top assessor xxx said he had not seen Helvellyn in such a dangerous state for many years”.
Anyone planning a visit there this weekend would be advised to check first !.
Risk will be on Helvellyns Western facing slopes as the main road runs alongside the mountain on that side, I would also thinking that Striding Edge would have a avalanche risk also.
In reply to 2E0KPO:
Striding Edge should have relatively low avalanche potential but the usual precautions should be taken in regard to collapsing cornices. It sounds like the risk is from windslab and powder snow avalanches. Windslab is pretty lethal but usually easy to detect.
Give it a day or two to consolidate and then take advantage of it!
On Helvellyn, the cornice predominantly builds over the eastern facing flank (where all the snow and ice climbing is on the mountain), new snow causes problems when it hasn’t had the opportumity to bond to anything (or itself).
It’s best to wait until freeze/thaw action has taken place and the snow conditions have had chance to consolidate. Then you dont feel like you are walking through soap powder!