West Slopes South

Most locations in the West South saw some sunshine and wet avalanche activity over the past few days. This should help ease the shock of sunny skies and warmer temperatures on the snowpack on Friday. In these locations, once any crusts break down, you may be able to push piles of wet snow on very steep slopes. There could even be several natural point release slides in rocky terrain. Overall, the recent snow has been making a very slow transition for the past several days. Just don’t let these wet slides take you by surprise in very steep or consequential terrain. If the snow surface is still cold and dry, then Friday’s weather could be a rude awakening. These areas may see more and larger natural avalanche activity.

Once you start noticing snow falling from rocks and trees, this problem is waking up. Rollerballs and natural avalanches will likely follow. This is the time to start avoiding being on or under steep sunny slopes. If you see avalanches entraining lots of recent snow and growing larger, then things are becoming even more dangerous. It's time to give similar terrain a wide berth.

Wind slabs across the zone are a few days old and likely becoming harder to trigger. However, as you move into higher terrain, keep this problem on your mind. Scoured slopes, sharp cornices, and fresh drifts can all point towards potentially loaded slopes. If you begin to find wind affected snow, these pockets will likely only become bigger and more common as you ascend. 

You’re most likely to trigger one of these lingering wind slabs in very steep terrain, along the base of cliffs, and on convex rollovers. It may be difficult to tell if any specific slope will fail. Instead, look for less wind affected or lower angled slopes to enjoy the soft snow.