Persistent Slabs
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Possible
- Größe
- 2
A persistent weak layer of October and November facets makes up the base of the snowpack on north-facing slopes at mid and upper elevations. In these areas, it is still possible to trigger an avalanche up to about 1 foot deep and over 100 feet wide.
This setup was obvious over the weekend, with widespread avalanche activity and plenty of red flags. As we move farther from the loading event, those signs may be less obvious, but the structure has not changed. Sensitivity and overall likelihood are slowly dropping, but the consequences remain high.
This problem extends across both mid and upper elevations, and both deserve caution. Upper elevation slopes remain the most suspect because they received the most snow and have the most connected weak layer.