Generally safe avalanche conditions exist prior to Monday’s incoming snow storm. In wind-sheltered locations on easterly aspects, small areas of unstable snow may exist. Even a small avalanche could make stopping a sliding fall impossible on the current hard, icy snow surface.
Firm and wind-hammered slabs can be found scattered across avalanche terrain. Slab depths range from 6 inches to 3 feet and are disconnected in nature. Triggering a small wind slab avalanche is unlikely today but not impossible.
The last few days of weather have brought substantial wind and arctic weather to the mountains. Currently, two distinct snow surfaces can be observed in our avalanche terrain. One is a shiny, wind-scoured crust that represents the mixed precipitation and warming event on January 9. The other is a patchy, less reflective, wind-pressed hard slab that can be found in isolated areas and around sheltered terrain features. These conditions create widespread “no-fall-zone” areas high up in the terrain due to the impossibility of arresting a fall on this firm snow surface. Even a small avalanche could create this kind of deadly situation.
These firm snow surfaces will act as the bed surface for substantial incoming snow over the next 48 hours. With potentially 2 inches of water to fall in the form of snow beginning late on Sunday night, expect high storm totals to greatly increase avalanche danger on Monday and Tuesday. Additionally, high snowfall rates and strong winds in the alpine zone will create whiteout conditions, making navigating through avalanche terrain challenging and dangerous.
The Lion Head Summer Trail is now closed for the season. The Lion Head Winter Route is the preferred option to the top of Lion Head.
Observations: Share what you see this season. Submitting an observation hones your skills, informs the community, and improves our avalanche forecast. We may not respond, but we read and appreciate every single observation. Here is a quick video on what is helpful to include in an observation.
