Above 7500 feet, the chance continues for skiers or riders to trigger avalanches involving weak snow layers that were buried in December. Failure of these layers could require larger triggers such as groups of people or snow machines, however, failure could still occur by a single person if a particular weak spot on a slope is hit. Along ridge lines and peaks, smaller wind slabs involving new or recently fallen snow could also be triggered. Avalanches below 7500 feet are unlikely. Safe travel in these conditions requires careful snowpack and terrain evaluation.
Dangerous deep slab avalanches continue to be a hazard. These slabs could propagate long distances, have depths to four feet and could carry severe consequences to anyone involved.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )The chance for snow at the higher elevations continues through tonight with favored areas seeing up to five inches of new snow. An inch or two is possible in the valleys. During the day, lingering snow showers could provide periods of light snowfall. Temperatures are to rise from near ten degrees to twenty in the afternoon. West winds are to have twenty to thirty miles per hour averages with the stronger winds during the night while snowfall chances are greatest.The general avalanche will remain Moderate above 7500 feet and Low below that elevation. Humans have the potential to trigger avalanches involving deeply buried weaknesses in the snow. Slab depths increase with elevation, with soft slabs with two foot depths at 7500 feet and hard slabs with up to five foot depths at high elevations. More than one person or larger triggers such as snow machines may be required to initiate one of these slides however, a single person could cause failure if a particularly weak point on a slope is impacted. A slight chance will also exist to trigger recently formed and possibly new pockets of soft wind slabs on loaded features near ridge lines and peaks.
