The general avalanche hazard is MODERATE at the mid and upper elevations and LOW below an elevation of 7,500 feet. Sunday's strong northwest winds created new hard wind slabs on leeward aspects in exposed areas. In addition, weak layers of well-developed faceted snow and buried surface hoar persist in the snowpack. Slab avalanches could be triggered today by skiers or riders who venture into steep avalanche prone terrain. Avalanches are unlikely at the lower elevations.
At the upper elevations hard wind slabs were formed on leeward aspects by yesterday's strong northwest winds. These slabs could be human triggered on steep slopes where they are poorly bonded to slick or weak, old snow surfaces. These slabs could be triggered to depths of 6 to18 inches and could step down to deeper layers of faceted snow.
Persistent layers of faceted snow lie in the snowpack. Slabs laying on these layers vary from one foot to as much as four feet in depth. These older hard slabs could be triggered after initiation of a new wind slab, by a single person hitting a weak spot, or by larger loads such as snow machines.
