West Slopes Central

The couple inches of snow that fell Sunday is enough to cause avalanches. They will remain small, not big enough to do harm unless you are above cliffs or trees, or in a gully.  The fresh coating of snow will dampen the icy and variable snow conditions, which you will still notice beneath the fresh snow.

On Monday you will see small loose avalanches running on steep slopes in the new snow layer.  Winds may form small fresh slabs near ridgelines on upper elevation terrain as well. They could react to a human trigger. These avalanches will remain small enough to not cause harm unless you are exposed to terrain traps. 

The old snow surface beneath the new snow is concerning, as some surfaces are smooth and icy, especially on south slopes.  This will make a good sliding layer for avalanches, and they could run far. On east, north and west aspects the old snow surface may harbor persistent weak layers and the new snow could easily run at the interface. 

Difficult surface conditions made up the biggest challenge in the last week. Ski touring in the Mountain Loop area on Friday I first encountered a hard, bumpy crust that was breakable on foot with a healthy coating of tree branches on top. At higher elevations I found soft pockets of snow on shady aspects intermingled with hard surfaces. Ridgelines were scoured and south slopes had a melt freeze crust. At least now those surfaces have a thin coating of snow dampening them, but the hard surfaces will remain very noticeable beneath. If you were to fall on a steep slope without the appropriate arrest tools, you would not stop until you reached the bottom of the slope. At lower elevations open creeks still present a problem, as well as downed trees and branches from the wind event on Jan 12. 

During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, continue to follow the latest guidance from local, state, and federal health officials. Avoid unnecessary risks that could impact first responders and stress medical resources.  Wear a mask when appropriate, practice social distancing, and consider recreating closer to home.