Persistent Slabs
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Likely
- Größe
- 2
On almost all shady slopes across the mid and upper elevations, we have weak and faceted snow (weak layer). Weak snow with heavier, more dense snow on top = avalanches.
It's the slab no slab game. In some areas you will sink into your thighs as the snowpack has no slab above our wide-spread persistent weak layer. However, all you need to find is some relatively stronger snow over weaker snow and the slab will shatter. The tough part is the wind blew so hard that some spots are wind stripped and others are wind loaded. You'll have to be the one looking for the pillows and drifts.
For me, I hate playing the slab no slab game and therefore I take a step back when conditions get this complicated. It's too hard to know where you might trigger an avalanche or not. It could be off the ridge or well down into the bowl where the snow becomes thicker and more of a slab.
Natural and human-triggered avalanches will remain likely today across the upper-elevation wind-loaded terrain. These avalanches could be 1-2 feet deep, up to 100 feet wide, and large enough to bury a human. Today, an avalanche can be triggered remotely, meaning from a distance. I would stick to terrain under 30 degrees in steepness with nothing above or adjacent to you that could avalanche.
Trend: Increasing Danger
