Lawinenlagebericht

Northern New Mexico

Taos Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
1 · Gering
Waldgrenze
1 · Gering
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Kernpunkte

The avalanche danger is Low today, but that does not mean that there is no danger.  Strong winds over the last several days have drifted a couple of inches of snow from the middle of the week into isolated wind slabs near ridgetops. Avoid slopes where you find wind drifted snow or shooting cracks.  Although unlikely there is still a small chance you could find the right slab/weak layer combination to trigger a large and deep persistent slab avalanche. Avoiding steep north through east-facing slopes at higher elevations will help you manage these problems today.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely
    Größe
    2

    Faceted weak layers on North through East and SE aspects continue to linger deeper down in the snowpack. Triggering a persistent slab avalanche today is unlikely but there is still a remote possibility you could find the right slab/weak layer combination to trigger a large and dangerous avalanche. Before committing to a slope, consider the consequences if you were to trigger one of these larger avalanches.  The most likely places will be in shallow snowpacks (we still have several of these) in steep terrain. Avoid likely trigger points, near rock outcrops, steep convex rolls, and on the margins of the slab.  

    We have also been noticing mid-pack and near-surface facets around crusts that have become more reactive in stability tests.  As we look at the potential of a significant storm over the weekend, these facets may become a concern as we introduce a big load and cohesive slabs on the surface.   

Avalanche Discussion

We've dropped the avalanche danger to LOW today, but that doesn't mean it's a green light to throw caution to the wind.  There are still hazards to look out for that could have serious consequences.  Don't let your guard down and continue to practice good travel techniques and all the rituals you would do if it was higher avalanche danger.   

Strong SW winds over the last several days have stripped and eroded many of the west-facing facing slopes and drifted the 2 to 3 inches of snow we received Tuesday night into shallow slabs below ridgetops. These shallow slabs have formed on top of firm crusts and previous wind-packed snow. We have not been finding these shallow slabs to be reactive in travels, but you may find a wind slab on an isolated steep slope that you could get to move and knock you off your feet and sweep you down the mountain.      

The faceted weak layers that have plagued us most of the season, still exist deeper down in the snowpack, especially in shallow snowpacks.  It's been since the middle of February since we've seen an avalanche on one of these weak layers. With that said, most snowpits I get in continue to have a poor snowpack structure of strong cohesive slabs over weak faceted snow. Many slopes continue to have shallow snowpacks (less than 150 cm of snow) with easier to impact weak layers. It's this overall shallow snowpack and poor snowpack structure that is still giving me pause before blindly jumping into steep terrain as the consequences would be high.  Last week's warm temperatures and intense sun have created crusts near the surface that are now covered by a couple of inches of snow.  We are finding facets that are forming underneath these crusts that may become a weak layer of concern once we get more snow and build cohesive slabs on top. 

 I'm not fully convinced, we've put these persistent weak layer concerns to bed just quite yet and the lack of avalanche activity is probably more a function pushing further and further away from the last significant loading event from the Valentine's Day/week storm. With a potential for significant snow this weekend, we may see these layers become more reactive in the coming days as we return to a more active weather pattern this weekend into next week.  With a return to winter, expect avalanche danger to increase in the coming days! 

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