The persistent slab problem is best managed with patience and conservative terrain choices. Read more in the new forecaster blog
here.
Summary
Confidence
Weather Forecast
SUNDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with clear periods, some isolated flurries in the southern Purcells, light wind from the west, alpine temperatures drop to -10°c. MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind from the west, alpine high temperatures around -9°c. TUESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind from the west, alpine high temperatures around -10°c. WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind from the west, alpine high temperatures around -12°c.
Avalanche Summary
Natural avalanche activity has started to taper off, but large persistent slabs continue to be reactive to explosive triggers. On Sunday, a very large (size 3.5) avalanche was triggered by explosives on a northeast-facing slope that involved the full depth of the snowpack. Explosive control on Saturday produced slab avalanches (ranging from size 1-3) on several different weak layers. Over the past week, several notable persistent slab avalanches were remotely triggered from skiers on adjacent slopes, particularly in the Golden area. Given this weak snowpack structure, human triggering will likely continue to be a concern on slopes with thin or variable snow depth and on slopes that did not previously avalanche.
Snowpack Summary
Strong wind from the southwest and northwest has formed wind slabs in the alpine and around treeline. Approximately 50-100 cm of recent snow sits on a weak layer of facets (sugary snow), surface hoar (feathery crystals), and a sun crust (on south facing slopes) that formed during the dry spell in early December. Another similar weak layer is buried 80-150 cm. Finally, the base of the snowpack has weak facets layers at alpine and treeline elevations. All of these weak layers have been producing large avalanches over the past week. Human triggering any of these layer is most likely on slopes that didn't previously avalanche and on slopes that have variable snowpack depth (such as rocky alpine features).