Persistent Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1–2
You are most likely to trigger an avalanche on drifted easterly slopes at upper elevations. More wind and additional snow will continue to build cohesive slabs over buried weak layers. The avalanche you trigger in the surface snow could be large enough to bury you. Avalanches near the surface can also break into deeper weak layers buried two to three feet down. Slopes with shallowly buried trigger points are the slopes where you are most likely to trigger a deeper avalanche. Multiple sets of tracks on a slope do not mean it is safe. Parties report the second, third, and even fourth person on a slope triggering a slide. Cracking or collapsing in the new snow is a sign to look for safer slopes, but you may not see any before you trigger an avalanche. Look for safer riding on slopes sheltered from the wind without a surface slab or on lower-angle slopes.