Bollettino valanghe

Northern New Mexico

Taos Avalanche Center
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In sintesi

Generally safe avalanche conditions exist, but if you are getting out to enjoy the warm weather, there are a couple of avalanche concerns to watch for.  Northerly facing slopes continue to weaken and are mainly fully faceted. In steep and exposed terrain, it's possible to trigger a dry loose snow avalanche that gouges into depth hoar and facets near the ground. Loose wet snow avalanches are possible on solar aspects, with another warm, sunny day on tap and light winds. Expect the snow surface to become wet by the afternoon.   

Problemi valanghivi

  • Loose Dry

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    Possible
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    In steep northerly terrain near and below treeline the shallow snowpack is fully cohesionless. It's just facets and depth hoar with ski penetration near the ground. In very steep terrain, it's possible to trigger a small, dry, loose snow avalanche that gouges into weaker snow near the ground. These avalanches would be relatively small, but could still be dangerous in exposed terrain or where there are terrain traps below. 

    Dry loose snow avalanches like this one are possible as the snowpack is mainly just facets and depth hoar. These avalanches have the potential to gouge into snow near the ground like this one. 

    (1/26/2026) Photo: Andy Bond

  • Loose Wet

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    Probabilità
    Possible
    Dimensione
    1

    With another day of warm temperatures and light winds, expect solar aspects to warm by the afternoon.  These avalanches tend to start in steep terrain by sunbathed rocks starting out as a point release that can fan out further down the slope. Overnight temps continue to remain well below freezing so instabilities should stay to the surface, but with such a weak and shallow snowpack it could be possible for a smaller wet loose avalanche to gouge down into weaker snow near the ground. You can avoid this problem by staying off of steep sunny slopes in the afternoon. 

    Wet loose snow avalanches like these are possible on solar aspects later in the day as temperatures warm above freezing. 

    Photo: Charlie Harrison (3/9/2024)

     

Avalanche Discussion

More warm, spring-like weather will prevail today and continue through Tuesday before we hopefully see a weather pattern change towards the middle of this upcoming week.  Yesterday afternoon's clouds have moved on and today will look a lot like Friday with most locations and elevations potentially breaking freezing in the afternnon.  West and east aspects have formed crusts on the surface, while northerly and shady aspects continue to weaken.  Southern aspects have pretty much melted back to bare ground. 

If you're getting out, there are a couple of avalanche problems to watch out for, but they are easy to manage and avoid.  Warm sunny days and cold, clear nights are helping drive the faceting process in our still shallow snowpack on northerly aspects.  Dry loose snow avalanches are a concern on very steep slopes within this range of the compass, where the snowpack is fully faceted and facet sluffs near the surface can gouge into depth hoar near the ground.  These aspects are also where you can still find soft snow, but realize that both ski and boot penetration will be close to the ground.  The time-honored tradition of swimming through depth hoar has returned for those who've been working on their facet-stroke.

With another warm and mostly sunny day in store, small loose wet avalanches will be possible, mainly on east and west aspects where there's consistent coverage.  Watch for roller balls and pinwheels to indicate that the snow surface is getting wet and small wet loose point releases are getting easier to kick off.  If you're looking to head out it's never a bad idea to get an early start with a plan for an early exit before the snow surfaces warm up a lot.  You can always head to shadier aspect if you notice the snow surface becoming wet and gloppy.  It's that time of year to locate or re-up on your globstopper wax kit as our springtime sun angles are quickly approaching.

Please keep in mind that it's still low tide out there; ground hazards continue to be a big concern as the snowpack is generally just 1 to 3 feet deep.  There is still hope for a return to winter during the latter half of the upcoming week, then hopefully a more active weather pattern for the second half of February.  The avalanche danger will remain low until we see some more snow.  Until then, enjoy skiing in a t-shirt or finding some other non-snow outdoor activities!

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