The chance continues for riders and skiers to trigger slab avalanches in very steep terrain. These slabs could vary in depth from one to four feet, with the deeper slabs possible at the higher elevations. A snowboarder triggered small slab was reported in the Dry Creek area yesterday.
Slabs lie upon weaknesses formed during a mostly dry January. These dangerous slabs could have depths to four feet and lie in very steep avalanche starting zones and cliff areas. Identifying which slopes or features remain unstable is difficult at this time and slopes may fail after they have been previously crossed when a weak trigger point is found.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )High pressure is to build in over the area on Thursday while southwest winds have averages of five to fifteen miles per hour. Temperatures are to rise into the low twenties.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Moderate. The possibility continues to trigger persistent slabs, some deep, with depths up to four feet. These slabs have become less sensitive and are therefore even harder to predict than they were earlier in the week. Suspect areas include typical avalanche starting zones and rocky areas above 7500 that are very steep.
