As always, low danger doesn't mean no danger and mountain travel over snow always has some risk. Here are potential problems to look out for today:
Dry loose avalanches in weak snow on shady slopes. These avalanches involve unconsolidated, sugary facets that can easily sluff on steep terrain. While these slides are unlikely to be large enough to fully bury a person, they can release easily and accelerate quickly, running fast and far downslope. As they move, they may gouge into the snowpack, picking up additional snow and gaining enough speed and mass to easily knock a skier or rider off their feet. The real hazard comes from the consequences of being swept into a tree or over a cliff. A small slide in the wrong place could result in serious injury. Carefully consider what lies beneath you before committing to steep terrain, and manage your exposure by traveling one at a time and avoiding slopes where a loss of balance would have high consequences.
Isolated pockets of wind-drifted snow near ridgelines. While previously formed wind slabs have generally proven stubborn and unreactive, there is always some potential for small, shallow slabs to develop in alpine terrain. These slabs are most likely to be found just below ridgelines, along convex rollovers, and in terrain features such as gullies and the lee sides of sub-ridges. Some of these drifts may be sitting on underlying weak and faceted snow, increasing the chance for a shallow, human-triggered avalanche. Any avalanche that occurs would likely be small, but could still knock a person off their feet or push them into hazardous terrain. Be alert for signs of recent wind loading, such as smooth, rounded snow pillows or stiff, hollow-sounding slabs, and use caution when traveling in exposed, wind-affected terrain.
Wet loose avalanches on sun exposed slopes. As the days heat up we may see some loose wet activity. Like dry loose avalanches, these should be relatively small but they could take you for a ride. Signs of instability include rollerballs, pinwheels, and sloppy wet snow. Stay off of and out from under steep slopes when these signs are present.
What happened to our persistent weak layer problem? To be sure, there are plenty of weak faceted layers in the snowpack. In fact, on most shady slopes near treeline and below, the snowpack is faceted all the way through to the ground. Although very weak, this structure is missing is an over-riding slab. We have to have a slab and a weak layer to have a problem. Above treeline, isolated hard slabs still exist over weak faceted snow, but over time these layers adjust to the stress of the load and they become "dormant." This does not mean they have gone away. A new snow load has the potential to reactivate these weak layers, and in the case of our current snowpack, it's all but certain that we will again have a persistent weak layer problem when snow returns.
