Yesterday, a solo rider triggered this persistent slab avalanche from below and was caught, carried but walked away clean -- See more from their excellent write-up, here.

It's in the name, rotten November snow turned persistent weak layer sits beneath a strong, cohesive slab that is beginning to show its teeth. Much of this weak snow sits beneath a rain crust that formed prior to Christmas, now buried under 1-2' of snow, making the riding and snowpack feel solid under our sled, skis, or board. It's still tricky out there though as we are seeing fewer red flags or warning signs for this avalanche problem, like cracking and collapsing. But it is still possible to trigger, and all we need to do is find a shallow spot where we can punch through the slab and impact the weak layer below. Once triggered, were staring down the barrel of a nasty and consequential avalanche. See this snowpack structure for yourself as the proof is in the powder pudding -- Pull out the shovel or trench your track down, and you will surely see the dense, strong slab sitting above weak, old, faceted snow near the ground.

Remember, we can trigger persistent slab avalanches remotely or from a distance, meaning we don't have to be directly on the slope to trigger the slide. Persistent slab avalanches are not a manageable avalanche problem, avoidance is the best tool.

A southeast facing slope near 10,000' where a wind slab failed naturally during a period of strong winds, see more on this slide, here.

Cold winds blowing from the north created fresh drifts on mid and upper elevation slopes around the compass. Breaking up to 2' deep, today's drifts sit on a variety of snow surfaces including the Christmas rain crust, and once triggered may run further and pack more of a punch than you might expect.

Look for and avoid rounded pillows and textured snow near ridges and high peaks that may sound hollow like a drum. With wind blowing from multiple directions and a range of speeds over the past couple of days, avoid ross-loaded terrain features like chutes, gully walls, and cut-banks that could catch us off guard mid-slope. Remember, if you get out of the wind zone, you get away from the wind slabs!