The mostly stable snowpack is comprised primarily of faceted snow with several inches of recently fallen snow on the surface. Backcountry riders and skiers could trigger isolated pockets of shallow soft slab in steep, wind loaded terrain.
In high avalanche starting zones where wind loading has occurred, shallow soft slabs up to a foot in depth could be triggered by backcountry travelers. On very steep slopes, these small slabs could also entrain the upper portion of the weak, faceted snowpack.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )A north flow aloft will bring some light snow to the mid and upper elevations Monday night into Tuesday. Mountain temperatures will be near five degrees below zero Tuesday morning then warm well into the teens. Ridgetop winds will be northwesterly overnight at 25 miles per hour then northerly Tuesday at 30.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be LOW at all elevations on Tuesday. Low hazard does not mean no hazard. At the upper elevations, backcountry travelers on very steep, wind-loaded terrain could trigger isolated pockets of wind slab six to twelve inches deep. Triggered slides pose a threat to skiers and riders in extreme terrain where they could be swept over cliff bands or into terrain traps.
