Loose snow avalanches in steep terrain is our primary concern today as the upper foot of the snowpack is unconsolidated and has a couple of weak layers that will not support new snow loads or great bonding in the next 48 hours.
The upper foot of our snowpack has a crust and a couple of layers of buried surface hoar that are not going to allow great bonding or be able to provide support for future snow loads. You may get a lot of loose snow moving down with you on slopes steeper than 35 degrees. This is a big deal in exposed or confined terrain where snow can push you over cliffs or bury you deeply in terrain traps or gullies.
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The lower portion of our snowpack has gained a lot of strength in the last 2 weeks. Weak layers that formed in October and November are not showing up in stability tests. The upper foot is loose and un-consolidated, comprised of a couple of crusts and buried surface hoar and near surface facets. Tuesday evening we will begin the test of how well the upper foot of snow will support over a foot of new snow and strong winds.
Expect the avalanche danger to rise by Wednesday as wind slabs will likely take over as our primary concern and with the buried weak layers currently, we will likely also see sensitive storm slabs forming in areas that are sheltered from the wind.
Check your slope angle regularly, and use caution on and near slopes that are steeper than 30 degrees or connected to slopes that are steeper than 30 degrees. Red flags like recent avalanches, cracking, or whumphing noises in the snow are going to be the first signs that the snow is dangerous...find another, lower-angle slope to play on.
