Quick report
While persistent slab concerns related to 3/12 weak layer haven't played much of a role in the forecast, they have remained my primary concern while traveling through the mountains in the past 10 days. The presence of this layer has been the primary driver of my terrain selection. Avalanches involving this layer have been the most likely way to be surprised by triggering a large avalanche. I'm optimistic that this will improve, but we aren't there yet (at least not in the relatively thinner snowpack regions). These layers have looked their worst on shaded, sheltered slopes, and much better bonded on solar slopes. However, with a big pulse of water inbound (meltwater from the surface during warm temps and marginal/absent freezes), I could imagine some wet loose flanking out as gooey wet slabs on this if we push water down fast enough... Even if wet avalanches are restricted to loose snow avalanches I'd imagine we will see some sizable slides sliding on top of the 3/12 crusts - we have not had a good shed of this snow in most places. Freshly formed wind slabs I encountered today were small and unreactive. I did not go looking for wind slabs today (searching out sheltered snow for best ski quality), but I was in the terrain where they were forecast to be at their worst. Looking around the nearby landscape there were many slopes at all aspects and elevations that had been affected by the major wind event on 3/22. Wet loose problems turned on today on shaded slopes where dry snow from March storms was becoming wet for the first time. I was able to easily intentionally trigger a handful of these slides on steep north facing slopes around 8,000'.
Avalanche
- Size
- D1.5
- Aspect
- N
- Trigger
- AS
- Elevation
- 8000 ft
I intentionally triggered a handful of wet loose avalanches on steep north facing slopes at middle elevations. The largest of these were D1.5 and piled up snow 5 feet deep in the gullies below. They would have entrained more snow and become bigger in larger terrain. These involved snow that had fallen since 3/16 that was becoming wet for the first time.