Multiple human- and machine-triggered avalanches occurred yesterday in this zone. Avalanches will be likely today on slopes above 8,000', especially on north and northeast aspects though west and east facing slopes are also suspect. Avoiding being on or under steep terrain where persistent layers exist is your best strategy to avoid burial.
The added weight of recent snow had made buried weak layers formed in January even more reactive. Slab depths have been 2-4 feet deep, have been triggered remotely , and remain widespread above about 8,000'. The best way to avoid triggering a persistent slab avalanche right now is to avoid steep terrain. This snowpack should have your hackles up.
Extreme winds formed wind slabs down to 8,500' just over 48 hours ago. These slabs are sitting on a variety of surfaces from crusts to weak faceted snow. Temperatures will be warmer today making these more sensitive to triggering. You'll see large wind pillows, cornices and wind sculpted and pressed surfaces widley across the terrain.
Wet avalanches: Solar aspects, especially near rocks may produce wet loose slides large enough to be dangerous. While south-facing slopes at lower elevations have mostly melted off, mid-elevations above the rain-line (8,000') that were in the clouds yesterday may get loosened by today's warm sunshine.
Skiers and riders have wisely stepped back in their terrain choices during and after the last storm. We are still gathering evidence about the nature of the current persistent slab avalanche problem. We do know some important factors. Over two inches of water weight was just added to this thick layer of 1mm facets, stability tests show propagation and most importantly, many recent avalanches have occurred, both natural during the storm as well as human-triggered ones just yesterday. This snowpack should have your hackles up.
