Persistent Slabs
- Alta quota
- Limite del bosco
- Sotto il limite del bosco
- Probabilità
- Likely
- Dimensione
- 2–3
Strong southwesterly ridgetop winds continue to transport recent snowfall and increase the load on persistent weak layers of faceted snow that formed during the mostly dry period from the first half of December. These large to very large persistent slabs present a very significant threat to backcountry users not only due to their high likelihood and consequences, but also due to the high degree of spatial variability and uncertainty associated with these persistent weak layers. These slabs are just waiting for a trigger, and any slope that has not slid should be viewed as suspect. Forecasted snowfall and strong winds throughout the day will exacerbate this problem.