Bollettino valanghe

Northern New Mexico

Taos Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Mon
Alta quota
2 · Moderato
Limite del bosco
1 · Debole
Sotto il limite
1 · Debole
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Non aggiornato — questo bollettino è scaduto 6 years ago. Stai vedendo condizioni passate, non il bollettino in corso.

In sintesi

It remains possible to trigger a persistent slab avalanche on steep northwest through east facing terrain above treeline and isolated wind-exposed slopes near treeline. Weak faceted snow beneath stiff cohesive slabs has been slow to heal. Address each slope individually at this elevation, dig to assess if buried hard slabs are present before committing to skiing or riding a particular slope. Below and near treeline the snowpack is mainly cohesionless faceted snow where the biggest hazard continues to be natural obstacles. 

 

Problemi valanghivi

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Possible
    Dimensione
    1–2

    Our snowpack structure is incredibly poor on northwest through east slopes above treeline and isolated open wind-exposed slopes near treeline. On these slopes, we harbor buried hard slabs from Dec 23 that rest over incredibly weak faceted snow. We have not yet observed any notable healing occurring in this persistent weak layer. Long column tests continue to produce propagating results from easy to moderate force. Being so far removed from our last loading event on Dec 29, obvious signs of instability like recent avalanches, collapsing and shooting cracks will not be good tools to assess if this snowpack structure exists on any given slope. 

    The bottom line here is that if you're on northwest through east facing terrain above treeline you're likely dancing on hard slabs with very weak faceted snow beneath. We continue to live in the world of low likelihood where it may not be the first, second or fifth person on the slope to get it to fail, but consequences still remain high if you get one of these hard slabs to release.

    Weak facets below a hard slab that formed in December continues to remain a concern on NW through E aspects above treeline.

Avalanche Discussion

Recent strong winds have reshaped surface conditions across the range with lots of variability. Mostly, you'll find scoured terrain features and breakable wind crusts creating challenging ski conditions. Beneath the surface, however, we are harboring a very weak and faceted snowpack. Above treeline you can find a layer of dense hard slab buried in the middle of the pack. This slab is resting over a layer of well-developed facets and is the driving force behind our "Moderate" danger rating. Near treeline, pro-longed high pressure has mostly eaten the strength away from lingering buried slabs but you can still find isolated pockets of this structure if you look hard enough. Expect exposed, wind-prone slopes to be the likely culprits at this elevation band. Below treeline we lack a slab of any kind. It is cohesion-less faceted snow straight to the ground.

Either way you slice it the majority of our 70 to 130cm snowpack is mostly weak, faceted snow. With a storm approaching Monday and at the very least, modest snow accumulations, we can expect to see the avalanche danger rise over the coming days. The addition of a new load and subsequent slab will likely create a widespread, reactive avalanche concern. Start to come to terms with the fact that, unfortunately, we are going to be living with a challenging avalanche problem for a long time. We need to start thinking about dialing back our terrain selection in expectation of this increasing hazard. If we see the upper end of the forecasted totals (12")  we can expect avalanche concerns to extend below treeline as well. We may need to start looking at lower elevation terrain through a different lens.  

Despite all this, it's nice to have some change of any kind in the forecast for the first time in what feels like an eternity. Let it snow! 

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