Persistent Slabs
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Possible
- Größe
- 2
Recent storm snow buried a layer of weak facets from the January dry spell, creating a slab problem. The most concerning slopes face north and northeast, especially in areas of the Northern Wasatch that received higher water totals near Powder Mountain and Monte Cristo. Observations from the backcountry are limited, but ski area teams continue to trigger soft slabs that fail at the weak interface between the recent storm snow and old faceted snow surface.
Although yesterday's warm temperatures likely formed melt-freeze crusts on many slopes, strong winds can still scour and drift a surprising amount of snow. Be vigilant for signs of fresh wind loading and avoid slopes where recent wind-drifting has occurred.
The problem is most pronounced on northerly aspects, but the underlying weak structure is widespread and exists across the northern half of the compass, from West through East. On some slopes, existing crusts have helped to shoulder this initial load; however, with additional snowfall expected next week, the problem is likely to become more significant and widespread.
Very weak snow below recent storm snow found near Monte Cristo. Photo: Kaufmann View his observation HERE.