Persistent Slabs
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Unlikely
- Größe
- 1–2
Weak snow buried about two feet deep is the primary weak layer of concern at present. This layer is most likely to be preserved graupel or heavily rimed snow that fell January 2nd. In this zone, there have been no reports of surface hoar sitting on a temperature crust at this depth but the avalanche pictured here is suspiciously characteristic of this type of weak layer. Dig and perform stability tests before committing to your line. Noah's observation yesterday from the Park highlights current conditions and what a search for this layer looks like.
Deeper, weak layers, three to six feet beneath the surface around the Christmas/holiday crust have been unreactive to human triggering as well as in recent snow stability tests. The last reported avalanche on this layer was triggered on January 1st by an enormous load of snow pushed by a snowcat.
(1/10/2026)
This avalanche was remotely triggered by a skier on a SE aspect at 7750 feet in Grand Teton National Park on January 10th. This avalanche type walks a blurry line between wind and persistent slab problem types. SS-ASr-r1-D2, crown depth 1.5 feet