Persistent Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 4
The good news is... our snowpack is slowly healing and adjusting to last weeks big storm, there's amazing coverage, and there's plenty of low angle terrain to ride today and have a blast.
The bad news is... as the snowpack strengthens, it allows us to get further out on the slope before we find a weak spot, often around a rock or bush we can't see hidden underneath the snow, collapse the slope and trigger a slide, which usually breaks above us. Yes, these are the kind of avalanche conditions that kill most snowmobilers and guaranteed, it's deceptively tricky out there.
Now here's where we need to take a minute, step back, and evaluate our objectives, because the range is white and the snowpack is gonna feel really strong and supportable. But we've gotta think not only about the snow we're riding in, but also the snow we're riding on, and right now it's potentially house of cards.
No matter how you cut it, this is not the type of avalanche problem that we want to tangle with or try to outsmart. Today's avalanches could still potentially be triggered mid slope or even low on the slope. Once initiated, they'll break deep and wide and could take out the entire seasons snowpack in some locations, resulting in a potentially unsurvivable slide. That's too much uncertainty for me to deal with so I'm keeping it simple... patience and avoidance are the only solution. I'm simply gonna ride low angle terrain in the sun and avoid being on or under steep, wind drifted slopes.
There's a lot of terrain to ride today and not have to deal with unmanageable avalanche conditions, IF you chose slopes that had NO old snow prior to the big Thanksgiving storm.
Below is the setup we're dealing with.
From Sunday in Smith-Moorehouse, Randy remotely triggered this slide and notes.... "We triggered this remotely from ridge above, have seen it go before in similar conditions so was expecting this. Failed on old snow from October storms, ran to ground. Would expect a repeat. Also dug a pit 20 min before on similar aspect and noticed widespread collapsing while moving through the lower angle terrain."
Our recent pit profile on a northwest facing slope near Wolf Creek Bowl. Pretty clear to see a defining line of strong snow resting on top of weak snow near the ground.
