Persistent Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 3
Very weak faceted snow exists near the ground on almost all northerly-facing slopes at upper and mid-elevations. While the snow is gradually becoming more stable and definitive signs of instability like collapsing are waning, the buried, sugary, persistent weak layer and poor snowpack structure remain, and people could still trigger large and potentially deadly avalanches.
- Recent avalanches, shooting cracks, and collapsing (whumpfs) are signs of unstable snow, but these obvious signs of instability will not always be present when a large avalanche occurs.
- Avalanches might be triggered remotely (from a distance) or worse, from below steep slopes in the flats.