Avalanche Forecast

Strong solar radiation will cause cold snow surfaces on sun-exposed slopes to rapidly lose strength on Monday. Although most anticipated loose wet activity should be small, large natural loose wet avalanches are not out of the question. The sun will move around the compass heating up different aspects throughout the day. East facing slopes will begin first mid-morning, then souths soon after, and westerlies by afternoon. Time your travel carefully, and keep return routes in mind - cold slopes you crossed safely early in the day could be wet and weak by afternoon after baking in the sun. Be especially careful around steep sun-exposed rocky slopes and cliff bands. Watch for rollerballs and pinwheels, and stick to shaded or lower angle terrain to avoid the problem.

Release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. They generally move slowly, but can contain enough mass to cause significant damage to trees, cars or buildings. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Travel when the snow surface is colder and stronger. Plan your trips to avoid crossing on or under very steep slopes in the afternoon. Move to colder, shadier slopes once the snow surface turns slushly. Avoid steep, sunlit slopes above terrain traps, cliffs areas and long sustained steep pitches.

Several loose wet avalanches, and lots of pinwheels and roller balls.

Loose wet avalanches occur where water is running through the snowpack, and release at or below the trigger point. Avoid terrain traps such as cliffs, gullies, or tree wells. Exit avalanche terrain when you see pinwheels, roller balls, a slushy surface, or during rain-on-snow events.

You are most likely to encounter lingering storm slab instabilities at upper elevations. Continue to be leery of large convex or unsupported slopes greater than 35 degrees. If you witness obvious signs of unstable snow like recent avalanches, shooting cracks, or whumphing collapses, dial back your terrain to more conservative options. Loose dry sluffs have also been running far and fast in steep terrain. Even a small loose dry avalanche could have serious consequences if it were to carry you into trees or rocks or pile up debris in confined terrain. Carefully evaluate recent storm snow layers as you travel, using hand pits and small test slopes. Gather plenty of information before venturing into bigger terrain.

Release of a soft cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within the storm snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slab problems typically last between a few hours and few days. Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

You can reduce your risk from Storm Slabs by waiting a day or two after a storm before venturing into steep terrain. Storm slabs are most dangerous on slopes with terrain traps, such as timber, gullies, over cliffs, or terrain features that make it difficult for a rider to escape off the side.

Storm slabs usually stabilize within a few days, and release at or below the trigger point. They exist throughout the terrain, and can be avoided by waiting for the storm snow to stabilize.