Lawinenlagebericht

Northern New Mexico

Taos Avalanche Center
Auf der Karte ansehen

Lawinengefahr

Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
1 · Gering
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Kernpunkte

Triggering a small persistent slab avalanche is possible Above treeline on North through East aspects.  This is where stiff cohesive slabs rest on top of weak faceted snow. Evaluate terrain carefully and take the time to dig down into the snow to assess whether these slopes harbor this snowpack structure.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1

    North through East aspects above treeline are the slopes you'll most likely find old weak faceted snow and stiffer slabs from previous strong wind events.  These layers are now buried by over a foot of snow from storms over the last week.  Pay attention to obvious clues like loud audible collapses and shooting cracks on the surface.  Taking the time to dig down into the snow is a great way to assess if this strong over weak snowpack structure exists. 

    Margins of the slab and near rock outcroppings where the slab is thin will be the most likely place to impact a weak layer and trigger an avalanche.  An avalanche triggered today most likely will be small however, with lots of natural ground hazards even a small ride can have significant consequences.

    (11/24/2020) Crown from Lake Fork Peak

Avalanche Discussion

It's been a good Thanksgiving week for snow with an additional 2 to 4 inches of low-density snow on Saturday, bringing totals since Tuesday to 14 to 19 inches with 1.5 to 1.9" of Snow Water Equivalent (SWE). Moderate winds today should easily transport this latest round of snow.  It can't be ruled out to find a small isolated pocket of wind slab today above treeline. Pay attention to wind drifted pillows, a stiffening of the snow surface on the leeward side of ridgelines and in cross-loaded gullies. 

The last reported avalanche happened  Wednesday on a deeper persistent weak layer. Natural and skier triggered avalanches happened on North through East aspects above treeline.  Triggering an avalanche is getting harder but not impossible as these weak layers will need a little more time to adjust to this added weight.    

Most of the snow from Tuesday fell on bare ground (South and West aspects) with the exception being north and some east aspects near and above treeline. It's become increasingly hard to tell where old weak snow existed prior to the storm.  As the snowpack continues to grow, the variability is incredibly high.  Near treeline on northerly aspects, we continue to find a weak shallow faceting snowpack with a melt-freeze crust from the high-pressure period in the middle of November.  Snow from the last week sits on top of this crust and faceted snow but lacks a cohesive slab at these elevations. As we move into next week with cold temperatures and little snow in the forecast we should see an overall weakening of the shallow snowpack as we wait for the next significant loading event.   

Below treeline the snowpack is incredibly shallow (1 to 2 feet) and the biggest hazard at these elevations is hitting rocks and downed timber. With warming temperatures and sun during the day, we may see small loose snow sluffing in steep rocky terrain. Sticking to lower angled wind-sheltered terrain should provide good powder skiing and riding today.  It's still just November and the season is just getting going and lots of natural obstacles lurk just below the snow surface.

 

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