Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns

Mostly stable avalanche conditions exist, and large avalanches are unlikely. You could find small, thin pockets of windblown snow near ridgelines. Natural and human-triggered loose snow avalanches are possible in very steep, sheltered terrain, but the sluffs will be both small and isolated. There's a lingering chance of triggering a larger slab avalanche in very steep, rocky, wind-affected terrain.

The danger is LOW, and large avalanches are unlikely. However, small avalanches can ruin your day in alpine or high-consequence terrain. We're not facing a single, well-defined avalanche problem, but there are a few things to consider as you head into the mountains: 

WIND SLABS: Watch for small, thin wind slabs in exposed terrain. While these slabs and resulting avalanches will not be big enough to bury people, the slides could travel quite fast on the icy surfaces beneath them on sunnier aspects. If the snow suddenly gets deeper and/or stiffer, you've found a wind slab. If you see cracks shooting out from your skis or boards, think about the consequences of being knocked over by a small avalanche before committing to skiing or riding the slope.  

LOOSE SNOW AVALANCHES: You might be able to trigger small, loose snow avalanches (sluffs) in very steep terrain that is both sheltered from the wind and received more than a few inches of snowfall in recent days. Additionally, direct sunshine could produce natural loose snow slides on aspects on the southern half of the compass. As with the wind slabs described above, icy surfaces beneath the new snow increase the chances of a small slide knocking you over and pushing you somewhere you don't want to go. 

PERSISTENT SLABS: Weak, faceted snow exists near the base of the snowpack on shady, middle and upper elevation slopes. While triggering a persistent slab avalanche is unlikely, we can't completely rule it out in specific terrain:

• Very steep: slopes steeper than about 35 degrees.
• Rocky: slopes with variable snow cover due to the roughness of the terrain.
• Wind-affected: slopes where December and January's strong winds produced variable snow depths.