Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 2–3
You can easily trigger avalanches in places where you find more than about 12 inches of recent storm snow. These avalanches are most likely to break just underneath the storm snow. The bigger and more dangerous problem is the chance that these smaller avalanches can result in larger avalanches breaking on deeper weak layers. These larger avalanches can happen on most steep northerly or easterly-facing slopes. If an avalanche steps down to deeper layers, it will be very wide and near impossible to escape. Stick to lower-angle slopes or find south-facing slopes without soft, collapsible layers near the ground.