Southeast Mountains

Avalanche conditions slowly improve as time increases from the loading event earlier this week.  You can trigger a dangerous avalanche on slopes facing west through north through southeast.  Signs of instability have decreased in recent days, so don't count on large collapses to warn you of the danger.  You can find lower-risk options on southerly terrain or in avalanche paths that clearly ran earlier this week.  If you are uncertain about a particular slope, you can always choose terrain 30 degrees or less to manage the risk.

The danger ratings changed today in both forecast zones.  Although you may see the colors change from orange (CONSIDERABLE) to yellow (MODERATE), a dramatic change didn't occur to the snowpack overnight.  A slow adjustment between the overlying slabs and weak layers has been happening for a few days now, and forecasters gathered more information about the extent of the natural avalanche cycle earlier this week.  There are fewer slopes for a person to trigger due to the extensive natural cycle, and slopes that didn't avalanche slowly become harder to trigger.

1)  Each day forecasters document more avalanches that ran during the storm earlier this week.  There are fewer intact slopes (those that didn't avalanche) for a person to trigger; Mother Nature removed the hazard from many slopes during the storm.  In sheltered areas, it is fairly easy to identify slopes that naturally avalanched by crown lines, rough textures, and lumpy debris piles or by looking through the CBAC avalanche database.  It is a bit harder at upper elevations where winds have obscured evidence of previous avalanche activity, and you may be uncertain about which alpine slopes failed naturally without the telltale crown lines and obvious debris piles.  Most slopes that naturally avalanched earlier this week don't pose much threat as they lack a slab...some might even have reasonable riding conditions.  You will want to be confident that the previous avalanche activity removed the slab before you play on steeper terrain highlighted by the Persistent Slab rose.

2)  The adjustment of the snowpack is a continual process where avalanches slowly become more difficult to trigger each day.  Collapses in the snowpack have become less common over the past few days.  In the Northwest Mountains, slabs about 3 feet thick have stiffened and made it more difficult for a person to impact weak layers.  Although no longer likely, triggering a dangerous avalanche remains possible.  In the Southeast Mountains, slabs are about 2 feet thick and not as stiff.  This leaves some uncertainty about the sensitivity of the Persistent Slab problem in the shallower snowpack of the Southeast Mountains.  For this reason, the danger rating remains CONSIDERABLE near and above treeline in the Southeast Mountains.

As always, you can choose the simplest travel technique and recreate on slopes 30 degrees or less to greatly reduce the chance of triggering an avalanche.  You can find nice riding conditions on lower-angled terrain.