Gunnison

Although the likelihood continues to decrease, triggering a large and dangerous persistent slab remains possible. These avalanches are tricky and unforgiving — obvious warning signs like cracking or collapsing are unlikely before release. You may need to hit a thin spot or specific trigger point to collapse the weak layer, but if you do, the consequences will be severe. The safest options are slopes consistently less than 30 degrees or mid- to low-elevation southerly aspects. On west, north, east, and high-elevation south aspects, reduce your risk by choosing mellower terrain and avoiding convex rolls, shallow or rocky areas, and slopes with variable slab thickness from wind effects. 

The likelihood of triggering a persistent slab is decreasing due to snowpack settlement during the recent dry, warm weather. Crusts of varying thickness have added some amount of strength to the snow surface, reducing, but not eliminating, the potential for triggering in areas that got well crusted. (See video from West Brush Creek).   Unfortunately, potential size remains deadly: most slab avalanches in the past two weeks were D2-D2.5, with some reaching D3.  Any avalanches triggered this week will likely be large enough to bury, injure, or kill you.  

Avoidance remains the easiest and most reliable strategy: heading towards lower-angle terrain or to aspects/elevations where the problem is unlikely: southerly aspects near and below treeline. Traveling on slopes where the snowpack is consistently deep and uniform, or where surface crusts are thick and supportable, offers reduced risk but with greater uncertainty.  Unless you are a gold medalist figure skater looking to take your skills to steep terrain, the reward of "riding" (sliding for dear life?) down the ice crusts on shady aspects is likely not worth it at this point.  Hopefully, an inch or two of new snow today will improve riding conditions on our crusty snow surfaces.