At the mid and upper elevations, skiers and riders could trigger large slab avalanches that will fail on weak faceted snow layers that persist near the base of the snowpack. The potential for large avalanches to occur on this persistent weak layer warrants conservative terrain choices. Avalanches are unlikely at the lower elevations.
Large persistent slab avalanches two to four feet in depth can be human triggered on steep slopes. These slabs lie on west through north to east facing terrain at 8000 feet. As the elevation increases, the weak snow layer has greater distribution and can be found on southeast through north to southwest aspects. These slab avalanches can be triggered on avalanche paths with previous tracks.
A building ridge off the west coast and a northerly jet will bring dry and cold conditions to the region. Mountain temperatures will be in the single digits to teens and skies partly cloudy with light snow flurries on the highest peaks. Winds will be light out of the south to southwest. Above 8,000 feet in the mountains, persistent weak layers in the snowpack are still possible to be triggered by a human or snowmobile. These layers favor shaded slopes but can be found on solar aspects above 9,000 feet. If triggered, these slides will result in large slab avalanches and may involve the entire snowpack. There will be no obvious signs of instability like collapsing or shooting cracks as these problem layers are deep in the snowpack. In these areas, at the mid and upper elevations, the general avalanche hazard is moderate. The general avalanche hazard is low below an elevation of 8,000 feet.
