LOW danger doesn’t mean NO danger!
Despite our generally stable conditions, it is still important to look for signs of instability as the mountains can surprise us at times. Good travel habits, such as exposing one person at a time, watching your partners and grouping up in safe zones are, as always, key ways to minimize risk. Ease onto steep slopes and be mindful of people below you and on adjacent slopes.
A week of cold/clear weather and lack of wind over our region has allowed the snowpack to stabilize. The last avalanche was triggered a week ago and ongoing snowpack tests point to stable conditions. Hence, we are in the “normal caution” phase of avalanche concerns. These include:
- Glide avalanches:
- Being in the wrong place at the wrong time and getting caught in a glide avalanche remains a concern. Glide cracks are opening and releasing in popular ski and riding terrain throughout the advisory area. It is important to minimize time spent underneath the glide cracks. Glides are completely unpredictable and not human triggered. Be on the lookout for cracks and wrinkled looking snow (often a precursor to cracking).
- An outlier slab avalanche:
- Triggering a slab avalanche would most likely occur on an exposed ‘unsupported slope’ that sits above a cliff or steep rocky terrain. There may still be pockets of buried surface hoar lurking 2-3′ under the surface in isolated areas.
- Cornice falls:
- Remember cornices often break farther back from ridges than expected. Give them a wide berth.Sluffs on steep slopes:
- Sluffs on steep slopes:
- Sluffs are slowly becoming larger as the cold weather eats away and weakens the surface layers, turning it to sugary facets.
Look closely, glide cracks and wrinkled snow on Sunburst SW face under the weather station. Photo: Aleph Johnston-Bloom.
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