Persistent Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Unlikely
- Size
- 4
I am still closely monitoring the faceted snow near the ground. I've found that it has gained strength in many areas. Snowpit tests results are getting better. The mid and upper portions of the snowpack are very strong. After some more analysis over the next few days it is likely that we will drop the "Persistent Weak Layer" avalanche problem. Hopefully, the old snow at the base of the snowpack will no longer be a concern.
Persistent Weak Layer Summary, 2021-2022:
There was a foot or more of snow that fell in October.
This snow melted away on many slopes but it stayed on northwest, north and northeast facing slopes above about 8500'.
The snow that stayed turned into a weak sugary layer during dry weather in November.
We saw a large amount of snow in December which landed on top of the weak snow from October.
The weak layer of sugary faceted snow collapsed and produced avalanches under the stress of the large storms.
The weak layer is still present but has gained some strength. We are monitoring it and are hopeful it will become more stable with time.