Purcells

A deep persistent slab problem remains a concern where the near-surface crust is thin.

Low-probability, high-consequence problems are best managed with conservative terrain choices.

On Friday and Saturday, numerous small (size 1) dry loose and wind slab avalanches were reported in steep terrain. South of Golden, one large (size 2) avalanche was reported in extreme terrain on a west aspect in the alpine.

On Thursday numerous small (size 1) skier-triggered and natural wind slabs were reported on all aspects in the alpine.

10 to 20 cm of settling snow sits over a frozen crust that formed in early February. This crust is generally supportive to the weight of a human, but it gets thinner and less supportive in the alpine.

Consistent north winds in the alpine have been transporting available snow and building small wind slabs on lee features.

The midpack is generally faceted and the lower snowpack contains weak faceted grains, depth hoar, and crusts that continue to produce sporadic large avalanches.

Saturday Night

Clear. No new snow expected. Light south or southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -7 °C.

Sunday

Partly cloudy. No new snow expected. Light west or southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -5 °C.

Monday

Partly cloudy. No new snow expected. Light southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -6 °C.

Tuesday

Partly cloudy. No new snow expected. Light south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
• Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present and have produced recent large avalanches.
• Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
• Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.