Northern New Mexico

Heightened avalanche danger exists on open and wind-exposed slopes.  On northerly, east, and some west-facing terrain, consistent moderate winds over the last week have maintained stiffer and more cohesive slabs near the surface that sit on top of very weak faceted snow and depth hoar.  You may not be getting the obvious signs of this strong-over-weak snowpack structure like cracking and collapsing, so take the extra time to dig down and look for it before committing to riding avalanche terrain.

We're 8 days out from our last storm but luckily there are still plenty of good soft turns out there, especially on sheltered and shady terrain.  Temperatures were a lot more normal for January over the last week, keeping the melting at bay and helping to recycle the snow near the surface.  Even more solar aspects continue to hold decently soft snow at the surface, as the more seasonal temperatures and periodic cloud cover throughout the last week have kept crust formation to a minimum.  With all that said, it's still a shallow and variable snowpack with depths ranging between 1 and 4 feet with most places worth skiing and riding averaging 2-3 feet deep.  Ground hazards remain an issue, and many of them are hidden just below the surface, so keep that in mind before you point it donwhill.

The avalanche danger has eased significantly since the last storm when we saw significant instabilities develop all over the place.  Today the risk all comes down to the slabs that linger in the upper portions of the snowpack.  There is abundant weak snow near the ground on all aspects that have held snow since late November -- that hasn't changed.  However, the slabs that formed last weekend have changed over the last week, and it's a different story depending on where you are.  

Big, open slopes with significant wind exposure like this East aspect are where you're most likely to trigger an avalanche right now.  Smooth, rounded whales and pillows or differing snow surface textures are good queues that slopes may harbor a slab.(1/27/2026)  Photo: Andy Bond

In areas below treeline, the slabs have deteriorated significantly and you'll find it easy to sink into the early season facets and depth hoar as you travel.  Persistent slab avalanches are definitely unlikely in these areas, but be careful of triggering small pockets of slab if you're traveling in really steep, open, or exposed areas.  A small release like this wouldn't be all that dangerous on its own but could easily cause injury if it knocks you off your feet or pushes you into a nasty terrain trap.

Near and above treeline, the story is a bit different: fairly consistent moderate winds over the last six days have maintained stiffer and more cohesive slabs on leeward aspects and cross-loaded terrain features.  In some upper elevation spots, we're even starting to observe some hard slab development as the winds press and compact the snow near the surface.  Hard slabs are capable of propagating widely and breaking well above you, and all it takes is hitting the right shallow spot on the margins for them to break widely and rapidly.  Any and all of these slabs are sitting on top of incredibly weak snow that's easy to impact as a skier, rider, or on foot, so it's important to do your due diligence and know what you're up against before committing to big terrain.  You can accomplish this by keeping a close eye on the changing suportability of the snow underfoot and the stiffness of the slab at the surface.  Look out for obvious signs of wind drifting and wind-hardened surfaces, like whales and pillows.  Take an honest step back if you're finding this strong-over-weak snowpack structure, getting easy propagation in long column tests, or seeing any obvious evidence of instability like cracking or collapsing. 

There's some decent hope in the weather models for another big storm arriving February 10th or so.  The system developing during the middle of next week still looks pretty minimal for us, but we shouldn't rule out the possibility of getting a couple inches just yet!  Enjoy the nice weather this weekend and as always, stay safe out there.