Persistent Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Likely
- Size
- 2
Many steep slopes are hanging in the balance, waiting for a trigger. Recent avalanches as well as collapsing and cracking are bullseye clues that conditions are hazardous to your health if entering steep terrain today.
There's little mystery here: recent storm snow and moderate to strong winds have built a slab that teeters unsteadily over very weak sugar snow and we have a classic upside down strong over weak, unstable snow structure.
This unstable snow structure exists on many west to north to southeast facing slopes at the mid and upper elevations.
As I see it, you have three options;
Avoid the terrain (aspects and elevations) that harbors this unstable snow structure.
Choose this terrain but stick to the low angle slopes with no overhead hazard.
Roll the dice and hope for the best. But as I said earlier, conditions are ripe for an avalanche accident today.
