Northern New Mexico

Dangerous avalanche conditions continue to exist as you can trigger large avalanches.  The most likely slopes are west through east to southeast, where westerly winds and recent snow have built thick slabs that rest on top of weak faceted snow. Avoid being on our connected to slopes over 35 degrees giving avalanche paths wide berths as it's possible to trigger an avalanche from below or from a long-distance away.  

With warming temperatures and sunny skies, small wet loose avalanches may become more of a concern today on steep slopes around rock bands that are directly in the sun. Pinwheels and rollerballs are indications that snow surface is becoming wet and it's time to head to a shadier slope.

The winds have finally calmed down after battering our mountains for the last week.  Light NW winds will be with us over the next several days as a warming trend will start today and continue to climb into the middle of the week, where temperatures will be well above normal for this time of year.  With our high sun angle and intense sun here at our southern latitude, it's not a bad idea to start to think about wet snow avalanches. Watch for rollerballs and pinwheels at lower elevations and slopes that are directly in the sun.  These slides typically start around rock bands and can quickly fan out entraining more snow as it moves down the slope and can be difficult to maneuver out of. 

One to two feet of snow fell in our mountains over the President's Week storm combined with strong W/SW have built thickening slabs on the leeward sides of ridgelines and cross-loaded terrain features. Prior to this storm near-surface facets formed on the surface, around crusts or sandwiched between slabs and are now capped by a cohesive slab leading to this poor snowpack structure of strong over weak. These weak layers are going to need time to adjust as instabilities will continue with us for the coming days. 

Many of the natural avalanches that occurred happened on northerly and east aspects near and above treeline, which is where we've seen the greatest amount of loading from wind drifted snow.  We have observed avalanches though at all elevations on aspects ranging from west through north to southeast.  This underscores that some uncertainty exists as to how one slope will react to compared to another. Take a conservative approach, with careful snowpack evaluation and cautious route-founding.  Expect that every slope has the potential to slide and always think about the consequences if it does. There is a possibility of remotely triggering an avalanche from long distances away or from the flats below.

Below treeline, the avalanche danger is moderate as overall avalanche activity and size have been smaller avalanches on specific slopes in this elevation zone. However, don't let your guard down in this terrain, as you can still trigger a persistent slab avalanche in this terrain.  On Friday there was an avalanche fatality in Marble CO near Aspen on a west-facing slope below treeline and you can read the preliminary report here. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and all of those that were affected by the accident.  Even a smaller avalanche can pile up snow quickly in terrain traps and become dangerous.

Challenging and complex conditions exist, but you can use terrain selection to help mitigate the overall danger by sticking to slopes less than 35 degrees, giving avalanche path wide berths and avoiding steep convex rolls and terrain traps. Low angled wind-sheltered terrain will provide the safest skiing and riding options for today.