The overall avalanche danger on the Skyline remains CONSIDERABLE today.
Human-triggered avalanches are likely.
Continue to avoid being on OR BELOW steep slopes on the north half of the compass.
Weather and SnowGeneral Conditions: It's warm. Overnight temperatures hovered in the mid to upper 30s. There has been some precipitation. There was some snow at Fairview Lakes which is around 9000' feet in elevation. The rain/snow line has to be very close to that elevation. There's not really any accumulation anywhere that I can see. It's been a bit breezy with moderate speed wind from the west and stronger speeds along the most exposed peaks.
Recent AvalanchesNo new avalanches were reported from Tuesday but Whitney Ward found one from last weekend at the top of Fairview Canyon in Burnt Fork. It could have released naturally during the storm but my money is on that it was remotely triggered by snowmobilers below the slope. MORE DETAILS HERE
Photo: Whitney Ward
Avalanches breaking into faceted snow that formed in January is going to remain our focus for some time to come. These types of weak layers don't stabilize and heal rapidly. Hence why we call them Persistent Weak Layers.
Things will settle down and become quieter. We won't experience as much collapsing and cracking. Not as many avalanches will be triggered. But this will only make things trickier because the weak snow will remain buried and waiting..........
I'll be surprised if this buried weak snow stabilizes enough this winter for me to feel comfortable getting onto steep northerly-facing slopes. I will be holding my cards tight for the remainder of the season.
