Snowmobilers and skiers could trigger slab avalanches today. Strong winds have created new soft slabs on recently faceted snow surfaces. Larger slab avalanches could fail on a deeper layer of faceted snow. A careful evaluation of the snowpack and conservative terrain choices are warranted. The assessment of the hazard associated with buried faceted layers can be problematic. Be aware of other groups of skiers and riders who may be above or below your party. Don't let sunny skies and new snow impact your terrain selection decisions.
Soft surface slabs formed by southwest to northwest winds could be triggered by humans today on a variety of aspects. These slabs could be up a one feet in depth. These slabs are especially dangerous above cliff areas and terrain traps. Snow depths are still shallow and the consequences of being caught in an avalanche are more severe due to rocks and other obstacles.
Larger slab avalanches could be triggered on a persistent weak layer that formed in November. These slab avalanches could be triggered by the weight of a person or be triggered by the release of a surface slab with depths to 30 inches.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )This storm is winding down and heading east. There could be some snow flurries in the mountains though Thursday, but amounts should be very light. Temperatures will be in the single digits tonight and rise into the teens during the day. Winds will be from the northwest to west and decrease to 15 miles per hour.Today’s strong winds and rapid loading event created new soft wind slabs that were very sensitive to human triggers. These surface slabs lie upon a layer of faceted snow. This new snow also increased the load on a buried layer of faceted snow that formed in November and is deeper in the snowpack. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE on Thursday. Surface slabs 6 to 18 inches deep and larger slab avalanches up to 3 feet in depth could be triggered by humans on buried layers of faceted snow. Although these slab avalanches are expected to be less sensitive to human triggers than they were today, large slab avalanches could be triggered by skiers and riders on a variety of aspects on Thursday. A careful evaluation of the snowpack and conservative terrain choices are warranted. The strength and distribution of buried layers of faceted snow are difficult for even the most experienced backcountry users to assess and manage.
