Persistent Slabs
- Alta quota
- Limite del bosco
- Sotto il limite del bosco
- Probabilità
- Likely
- Dimensione
- 3
The sensitivity is decreasing, but upper elevation north-facing slopes are still suspect. It is a slow healing process, and the snowpack needs time. Avalanche activity earlier in the week demonstrates that dangerous avalanche conditions still exist on any slope that had snow before last week. We have a 2-3 foot slab sitting on top of a foot of weak facets at the ground. These lingering facets can be found above 9500’ on NW, N, NE, E aspects and on NW, N, NE, and E aspects between 8000 and 9500 feet.
The reported avalanche activity is becoming more sparse, but the threat still remains. Folks are still seeing consistent instability in their snowpits, cracking and collapsing. An avalanche triggered today would be 2-3 feet deep (or deeper on wind loaded slopes) and hundreds of feet wide.
The best option today is to avoid terrain steep enough to slide. Ride slopes less than 30 degrees, and avoid being under any steep slopes as you can still trigger slopes from below. View a simulation of how this happens HERE.
Photo (C. Mackenzie) below shows this simple layering of this avalanche problem - a soft slab of snow resting on 3mm depth hoar.
