Persistent Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 2
A Persistent Weak Layer of faceted snow near the ground is really our only concern. There is enough snow on top of it to produce slab avalanches. The problem is most pronounced in the higher elevation more northerly facing terrain. It is still a concern but less pronounced on more west or east facing terrain and less pronounced in the mid elevations. There is not much concern at lower elevations as well as on southerly facing slopes.
With no storms in sight, this problem will become less dangerous over the next week. It will likely become "dormant" where there won't be any avalanche threat. However, whenever we get significant snow again, it will most likely become active again.
My fear is that if we go two weeks without any significant snow, all of the snow that is currently on the ground is going to deteriorate and turn into sugary facets. If this happens, the problem will probably be more widespread than it is now and dangerous avalanche conditions are sure to follow when we get storms.