The mostly stable snowpack is comprised primarily of faceted snow with several inches of recently fallen snow on the surface. Backcountry riders and skiers could trigger isolated pockets of shallow soft slab in steep, wind loaded terrain.
In high avalanche starting zones where wind loading has occurred, shallow soft slabs up to a foot deep could be triggered by backcountry travelers. On very steep slopes, these small slabs could also entrain the upper portion of the weak faceted snowpack.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Expect partly cloudy to mostly clear skies on Monday. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the negative teens before rising to near zero during the day. Northwesterly ridgetop winds will increase to 15 to 25 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to remain LOW at all elevations on Monday. Low hazard does not mean there will be no hazard. At the upper elevations, backcountry travelers venturing into very steep, wind loaded terrain could trigger isolated pockets of wind slab six to twelve inches deep. These small slides pose a threat to skiers and riders in extreme terrain where they could be swept over cliff bands or into terrain traps.
