The Red Flags of avalanches, collapsing and poor stability tests remain. Many of yesterday’s avalanches were remotely triggered from a distance; one was on a previously skied slope, another was triggered by the 3rd person. These are hallmark characteristics of the nasty, tricky faceted weak layer we are dealing with. It is really complicated out there – many slopes are stable, but if it goes, it can go deep and big.

The steep, shady slopes, especially with wind drifted snow, are where there are weak buried facets, and are the places for triggering a slide. Slopes and drainages with a shallower snow pack before the last storm more suspect. Many times there is a hard wind slab involved, possibly buried beneath the powder. Collapsing is an indication of an unstable snowpack, and you need to stay off of and out from under steep slopes.

Other slopes that have been collapsing are more the more heavily loaded places where the graupel has rolled down and pooled – below cliff bands and where steep slopes flatten out. This layering can be on slopes of any aspect – the west facing aprons in Cardiff Fork were collapsing yesterday.

Another warm day, with decreasing clouds and very light winds, will heat the snow on the steep sunny slopes. As the snow become damp, it will become increasingly easy to trigger wet loose sluffs in steep terrain, particularly near cliff bands. Snow on the low and mid elevation shady slopes may heat, too, depending on the cloud cover.