Banner Summit

Generally safe avalanche conditions exist and large avalanches are unlikely. You are most likely to encounter an avalanche problem in very steep, rocky, and wind-affected terrain. Continue to follow safe travel protocols—carry your rescue gear, travel one at a time in avalanche terrain, and keep your eyes on your partners. 

There is no well-defined avalanche problem in this zone, and triggering a large avalanche is unlikely. Of course, as the saying goes, LOW danger is not the same as no danger. As the danger drops, we often find ourselves seeking out steeper terrain. Here, even minor problems can carry high consequences. Be on the lookout for the problems described below and think about the potential consequences of encountering them in the terrain you are traveling in:

• Wind Slabs: thin, isolated wind slabs exist in upper elevation terrain. These slabs are generally well-bonded to the surfaces that they are resting on and are mostly just decreasing the skiing/riding quality where they exist. However, if you find one sitting on a layer of icy snow or facets you may still be able to trigger it.
• Remnant Snow from October: A layer of weak snow exists at the base of the snowpack on shaded middle elevation slopes and most upper elevation slopes. In this zone, this layer is buried 5-7' deep and is finally getting the rest it needs to gradually heal. It would take a dose of bad luck, to trigger one of these monsters, but you would need an equal dose of good luck to survive the aftermath. 
• Cornices: Cornices have grown to impressive sizes already this year, which is unusual for January. In my recent travels in the mountains, I've seen lots of giant cornices that are yawning off the steep terrain that they are attached to. In many places, large cracks and crevasses exist between the ridgeline and the cornice itself. Even just falling into one of these could have some nasty consequences. Large cornice failures can be very effective triggers for the deeply-buried weak snow described above.
• Wet Loose Slides: Today will be cooler than yesterday, but if you are playing in very steep, rocky terrain that directly faces the sun during the heat of the day you might be able to push some of this wet surface snow into a small slide. 

I issued a challenge for you yesterday, and was pleased to get at least one response! I think I'll keep it going today, here is your Tuesday challenge: the weather over the past 10 days has been great for building surface hoar. I've skinned and rode through many fields of surface hoar of all varieties. Of course, not all surface hoar is created equally. You can find thin needles of surface hoar (acicular growth form) and flat plates of surface hoar (tabular growth form). You can find surface hoar that grows on top of other crystals of surface hoar and surface hoar that is standing up or falling over. Wow, who knew there was so much to know about surface hoar!? Today, when you are out in the backcountry and you find some surface hoar, take a minute or two to have a closer look at the crystals. Try to describe what you are seeing. Send a photo or two my way ([email protected]), along with your brief description of what you saw, and get ready for another mind-blowing prize in return! (Forecaster's note: today, there is also no prize, but I can guarantee you an excited email in response)