Dogtooth

Carefully assess conditions and look for signs of instability.

We feel confident in the likelihood of wind slabs but uncertain in the likelihood of persistent slabs.

Moderate

• We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.

On Sunday, a few small slabs were triggered by skiers. These slabs failed on the early February surface hoar layer. These types of avalanches may get larger as the slab above stiffens.

Over the past 3 days numerous dry loose avalanches were observed in steep terrain. These avalanches were triggered naturally and by skiers.

10 to 20 cm of fresh snow accompanied by strong southwest wind has formed deeper deposits on north and east aspects. In sheltered terrain it will overlie a variety of surfaces including surface hoar, facets, and a sun crust.

There are 2 prominent weak layers in the upper snowpack

• A surface hoar/crust layer buried early to mid-February is down 15 to 30 cm.

• A facet/crust layer buried at the end of January is down roughly 20 to 40 cm.

Below this, the mid and lower snowpack are well settled with several crust  layers.

Monday Night
Partly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 4 cm of snow. 70 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind-loaded snow.
• Recent strong wind means wind slabs may be found farther downslope than expected.
• Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
• Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
• In times of uncertainty, conservative terrain choices are our best defense.