Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains
Thursday morning, February 22, 2018
The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE today on steep slopes that face northwest and especially north and east above about 9500'. Human triggered avalanches are likely in this terrain. Outside of this terrain the avalanche danger is much lower and you can travel safely if you avoid being on or below the slopes mentioned.
Persistent Weak Layer
Description
Triggering an avalanche that breaks into weak snow deeper in the snowpack remains the biggest concern. The problem is that you will not see obvious red flags right now. There are no visible recent avalanches. The snowpack is not cracking much right now when you travel through it. Collapsing is sporatic right now.
However, if you dig down you'll easily find the weak faceted sugary snow deeper in the snowpack. It will still propagate in snowpit tests. If you're traveling on a machine, you will still notice that if you jump off your machine you're boots will sink to the ground in many places. If you get stuck, you'll no doubt be sifting through the weak sugar snow. These are reminders of the weak snowpack structure.
Additional Information
General Announcements
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