Persistent Slabs
- Alta montaña
- Límite del bosque
- Bajo el límite del bosque
- Probabilidad
- Possible
- Tamaño
- 2–3
Recent Avalanches: Several wind slab avalanches occurred during last week's outflow wind event.
The weak layer of faceted snow that formed back in December is still our main avalanche concern in the Summit Lake area. This layer has become stubborn over the past week, but we are still seeing warning signs like collapses and poor test results in the field. That is clear feedback indicating an unstable snowpack, and that means we can still trigger large avalanches in this area.
Problems like these are difficult to predict and do not always give clear warning signs, even when conditions are dangerous. As a result, the best way to manage terrain is to set aside complex terrain and bigger objectives for now. That's not to say all avalanche terrain is necessarily off-limits; but it would be wise to avoid slopes with terrain traps that increase the consequences of triggering an avalanche. These include features like trees, rocks, or cliffs, as well as gullies, creeks, or depressions that collect avalanche debris in deeper piles. It also includes large, well-connected start zones that could produce larger avalanches. Given how challenging this problem is to assess, it is best to avoid all of those terrain features for now.