Destructive avalanches could be triggered today by backcountry travelers in avalanche prone terrain. Starting slides may require more than one track or more than one person at a time on a slope. Forecasted sunshine will increase the ease of triggering these slides on sunlit slopes. Tracks on a slope are no indication an area is stable with these conditions.
Triggering destructive avalanches two to four feet in depth remains possible. These persistent hard slabs rest on weak January drought surfaces. A slope could be crossed multiple times before a skier or rider finds a trigger point; previous tracks are not a sign of stability. As the day warms, slides will become more susceptible to failure on sunlit slopes.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )A series of short-wave troughs will bring periods of light snow. Accumulations are expected to be two inches or less at mid and upper elevations. Mountain temperatures will be in the upper teens Tuesday morning then warm into the upper 20s. Winds at ridge top level will be west to southwesterly at 15 to 20 miles per hour.Persistent deep slabs from last week's storm rest on weak, poorly bonded snow from the January drought on avalanche terrain. The nature of these slabs make them very difficult to predict and the danger will continue. Multiple snow machine tracks, more than one person at a time on a slope or a skier cutting an area of shallower, weaker snow may trigger these dangerous hard slabs two to four feet in depth. The general avalanche hazard will be MODERATE.
