Aspen ===== Current Keywords: CONSIDERABLE, MODERATE, avalanche danger, crown, human triggered, natural, natural avalanches, precipitation , slab, slabs, trough, weak layers, wind loaded, wind slabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Aspen Zone Forecast Issued on 2/2/2008 6:21:53 AM Forecaster: Brian McCall Weather Synopsis Our active weather pattern continues with snow expected statewide over the next several days. A shortwave trough continues to track across Colorado today bringing light snowfall to the high country. Snow will diminish overnight Saturday, but will increase again on Sunday. Our next big snow producer, currently edging into Northern California and Oregon, will continue to dig south and east reaching the state by tomorrow. This system will bring heavy snowfall with storm totals ranging from 1-2 feet, and up to 3 feet in areas favored by southwest flow, namely the Southern San Juan and Crested Butte. Precipitation intensity looks the strongest overnight Sunday, with snow continuing through Monday. A drier airmass moves in Tuesday with yet another weak system projected to slide in Wednesday. Weather Saturday Saturday Night Sunday Temperature(°F) 15-20 3-8 18-23 Wind Speed(mph) 10-20 15-25 15-25 Wind Direction WSW WSW SW Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Overcast Snow(in) 0-2 0-3 4-7 Snowpack Discussion More light snow has fallen around the Aspen zone in the last 24 hours. New snow totals are in the 2-4" range in most locations with the Schofield area picking up another 6". Avalanche activity continues to be reported to the office. Yesterday there were three separate snowboarder triggered avalanches reported from the Richmond Ridge area. These occurred on a NW aspect below treeline just north of the Annie's Face. Although these were small avalanches, they are a good indication of some the unstable layers that can be found in the upper snowpack. On Thursday, a skier triggered an avalanche on a SW aspect of Ophir Gully at 10,000 ft. This area is just outside the Aspen Mtn boundaries. It was triggered by the 3rd skier into the slope but no one was caught. The crown of the avalanche varied from 8 inches to 2 ft deep. There have been several other reports of larger natural avalanches this week. Most have occurred near or above treeline on wind loaded N-NE-E-SE aspects. These aspects have been the most active though avalanches have occurred on all slopes in the last few days. Light snow, some cold temperatures, and wind strong enough to transport this new snow are going to keep our snowpack tender and ripe for some avalanche activity into early next week. Last night we had a period of stronger West winds after sunset that will have formed some more slabs on the already heavily loaded Easterly aspects. Because this comes so quickly after our last big storm at the beginning of the week, the new loading will be enough to keep natural avalanches possible on most aspects and elevations. Wind loaded slopes facing North through East through South near and above treeline will continue to see the most avalanche activity. Nearly all of the avalanches observed this week have been failing below the storm snow and wind deposited slabs that fell last weekend. This snow fell on a variety of weak layers in the upper snowpack that continue to be sensitive to triggering. So far we have not seen too many avalanches step down to older weak layers, but they are still lurking well below the snow surface. Another storm lined up for Sunday and Monday should get you thinking about the possibility of some large, deep slab avalanches. Light snows in the last few days are now covering those wind slabs in the upper snowpack that formed last weekend. A little digging and probing of these upper layers will help you find these layers of concern. Avalanche Danger The avalanche danger in the Aspen zone is CONSIDERABLE on all aspects near and above treeline today. Slopes facing N-E-S at these higher elevations continue to pick up more wind deposited snow. This increasing load will make them especially tender. Below treeline, the avalanche danger is an overall MODERATE. Stronger winds last weekend did create areas of wind slabs below treeline as well. Keep an eye on these slabs as they will be the most likely area for human triggered avalanches. With a series of storms lined up through the weekend, don't expect the danger to decrease anytime soon. The CAIC Aspen office needs your backcountry avalanche, weather, and snowpack observations! During storm cycles like this, these observations are very valuable and our forecaster's legs and eyes can only cover so much terrain in one day! You can help out by emailing us at caic@qwest.net with anything you see out there today. Front Range =========== Current Keywords: CONSIDERABLE, MODERATE, avalanche danger, human triggered avalanches, precipitation , slab, slabs, starting zones, trough, wind loaded, wind slabs, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Front Range Zone Forecast Issued on 2/2/2008 6:16:44 AM Forecaster: Ann Mellick Weather Synopsis Our active weather pattern continues with snow expected statewide over the next several days. A shortwave trough continues to track across Colorado today bringing light snowfall to the high country. Snow will diminish overnight Saturday, but will increase again on Sunday. Our next big snow producer, currently edging into Northern California and Oregon, will continue to dig south and east reaching the state by tomorrow. This system will bring heavy snowfall with storm totals ranging from 1-2 feet, and up to 3 feet in areas favored by southwest flow, namely the Southern San Juan and Crested Butte. Precipitation intensity looks the strongest overnight Sunday, with snow continuing through Monday. A drier airmass moves in Tuesday with yet another weak system projected to slide in Wednesday. Weather Saturday Saturday Night Sunday Temperature(°F) 10-15 0-5 15-20 Wind Speed(mph) 15-25 15-25 20-30 Wind Direction W WSW WSW Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Snow(in) 1-4 1-3 1-3 Snowpack Discussion New has been slowly added to the snowpack over the past week, a few inches each day. By itself, the new snow is not much of a load, but with winds from the south, west, and north, new soft slabs formed on most aspects near and above treeline. These fresh slabs are our main avalanche concern, and the easiest to assess. Shooting cracks are an excellent indication that you could trigger an avalanche in recently deposited slabs. On Thursday observers reported a couple fresh avalanches in these new windslabs on easterly aspects near Willow Creek Pass (western edge of the zone). Fresh snow and soft slabs will disguise hard slabs left behind from last weekend's windstorm. Those hard slabs are hiding out down there, waiting to ambush the unwary rider. Previous winds were strong, and the slabs formed low in starting zones, far from ridges, and even below treeline in open areas. North through east to south aspects were all loaded. The hard slabs are much harder to asses. They are deeper in the snowpack, often will not give you obvious warning signs, and like to lure backcountry travelers a ways onto slopes before releasing. The deepest and trickiest problem to assess is deep slab instabilities. To borrow a line from Monty Python, "he's not dead, he's restin'." The deep slab problem will not go away; it just becomes an infrequent problem. You may be able to whack the slabs repeatedly and not get them to move, or brush the sweet spot and trigger a monster. Deep slides are often triggered from shallower, weaker areas on the slope. Smaller slides may step down, triggering older weak layers as well. Avalanche Danger Reactive wind slabs in the upper snowpack and deep slab instabilities continue to be the main concerns.The avalanche danger in the Front Range is CONSIDERABLE on north, northeast, east, southeast and south aspects near and above treeline. Human triggered avalanches are probable on steep wind loaded slopes. Below treeline on north, northeast, east, southeast and south aspects the danger is MODERATE with pockets of CONSIDERABLE danger. You will find the pockets on steep slopes that are exposed or lightly treed, where windslabs formed early in the week. The danger is MODERATE on southwest, west, and northwest aspects at all elevations. Grand Mesa ========== Current Keywords: cross loaded, drift, drifts, precipitation , slabs, starting zones, trough, windloaded, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Grand Mesa Zone Forecast Issued on 2/2/2008 6:33:20 AM Forecaster: Ann Mellick Weather Synopsis Our active weather pattern continues with snow expected statewide over the next several days. A shortwave trough continues to track across Colorado today bringing light snowfall to the high country. Snow will diminish overnight Saturday, but will increase again on Sunday. Our next big snow producer, currently edging into Northern California and Oregon, will continue to dig south and east reaching the state by tomorrow. This system will bring heavy snowfall with storm totals ranging from 1-2 feet, and up to 3 feet in areas favored by southwest flow, namely the Southern San Juan and Crested Butte. Precipitation intensity looks the strongest overnight Sunday, with snow continuing through Monday. A drier airmass moves in Tuesday with yet another weak system projected to slide in Wednesday. Weather Saturday Saturday Night Sunday Temperature(°F) 15-20 10-15 17-22 Wind Speed(mph) 0-10 5-15 5-15 Wind Direction WSW SW SSW Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Snow(in) 0-3 1-3 4-7 Snowpack Discussion New snow and wind are slowly adding layers to the snowpack. Previous south to west winds were strong enough to drift snow past the usual starting zones and load it lower on slopes than is usual. Windslabs have formed on north to east to southeast aspects. Control work last week triggered several avalanches in the recent windslabs. All were in in the upper layers of the snowpack and did not step down to lower weaknesses. Watch for sensitive drifts and cross loaded areas. Slides will likely occur at the old/recent snow interface. Use caution on or under windloaded terrain in the backcountry today. Avalanche Danger We have insufficient data to issue a danger rating for the Grand Mesa Zone. Please send observations from this or any other zone to [57]caic@qwest.net San Juan North ============== Current Keywords: , CONSIDERABLE, avalanche danger, avalanche hazard, collapsing, crusts, faceted, natural avalanche, precipitation , slab, slabs, trough, water equivalent, wind slabs, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Northern San Juan Mountain Zone Forecast Issued on 2/2/2008 8:06:02 AM Forecaster: Mark Rikkers Weather Synopsis Our active weather pattern continues with snow expected statewide over the next several days. A shortwave trough continues to track across Colorado today bringing light snowfall to the high country. Snow will diminish overnight Saturday, but will increase again on Sunday. Our next big snow producer, currently edging into Northern California and Oregon, will continue to dig south and east reaching the state by tomorrow. This system will bring heavy snowfall with storm totals ranging from 1-2 feet, and up to 3 feet in areas favored by southwest flow, namely the Southern San Juan and Crested Butte. Precipitation intensity looks the strongest overnight Sunday, with snow continuing through Monday. A drier airmass moves in Tuesday with yet another weak system projected to slide in Wednesday. Weather Saturday Saturday Night Sunday Temperature(°F) 13-18 3-8 17-22 Wind Speed(mph) 10-20 15-25 10-30 G/50 Wind Direction WSW SW SSW Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Overcast Snow(in) 1-4 0-3 6-9 Snowpack Discussion Snowfall and wind continued Friday and overnight, with snow totals favoring areas in the southern portion of our zone. Though snowfall amounts alone weren't enough to add a significant new load to the pack, wind speeds were perfect for transporting snow near and above treeline. Thursday's winds swapped from southwest flow in the morning to west and northwest in the afternoon, then back to southwest again early Friday morning. That means that most high aspects got their share of fresh loading in the last 24 hours, and yet another layer got stacked on our dynamic snowpack. With more light snow in the forecast through Saturday, the tension in the snowpack will not increase dramatically, but it will not ease either. Looking ahead, the storm that is setting up for Sunday and Monday is likely to cause the avalanche danger to increase again, so start thinking about that now. At the beginning of the week, a big storm brought two to three feet of snow, over 2" of water equivalent, and tremendous winds. As recently as Thursday, avalanche mitigation work at Telluride ski area and on local highways produced results on most aspects both above and below treeline. Recent natural avalanche activity has not been widespread, but observers have noted at least some activity on a variety of terrain. While there is tension in the snowpack in general now, the primary areas of concern are in the upper snowpack, particularly on east to southeast to south aspects near and above treeline. These sun-affected slopes have a particularly complex stack of wind slabs sandwiched in with weak crusts and faceted snow. Remember that once upper slabs fracture and release, they have the potential to step down and initiate slab released deeper within the snowpack. Some of these layers will be cohesive windslabs, which have the potential to propagate over long distances. As you travel in the backcountry, look for obvious signs of instability including recent avalanching, shooting cracks, collapsing and hollow sounds. Choose your terrain very wisely, only expose one rider at a time, and have escape routes planned. There have now been five avalanche fatalities in Colorado this winter, with another two people still missing and presumed dead, and the season is only half over. January and February are generally the two months when most avalanche fatalities occur - let's make consistently good decisions so this February doesn't contribute to the statistics. Avalanche Danger The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on all aspects and elevations. Unstable slabs and human-triggered avalanches are probable on steep slopes. Another significant storm starting Sunday is likely to cause the avalanche hazard to increase - stay tuned. [57]Please let us know if you see any avalanche activity or experienced signs of instability. San Juan South ============== Current Keywords: CONSIDERABLE, MODERATE, avalanche danger, crusts, facets, precipitation , slabs, surface hoar, trough, wind loaded, windloading, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Southern San Juan Mountain Zone Forecast Issued on 2/2/2008 6:58:32 AM Forecaster: Ann Mellick Weather Synopsis Our active weather pattern continues with snow expected statewide over the next several days. A shortwave trough continues to track across Colorado today bringing light snowfall to the high country. Snow will diminish overnight Saturday, but will increase again on Sunday. Our next big snow producer, currently edging into Northern California and Oregon, will continue to dig south and east reaching the state by tomorrow. This system will bring heavy snowfall with storm totals ranging from 1-2 feet, and up to 3 feet in areas favored by southwest flow, namely the Southern San Juan and Crested Butte. Precipitation intensity looks the strongest overnight Sunday, with snow continuing through Monday. A drier airmass moves in Tuesday with yet another weak system projected to slide in Wednesday. Weather Saturday Saturday Night Sunday Temperature(°F) 15-20 5-10 15-20 Wind Speed(mph) 10-20 10-20 15-25 Wind Direction SW SW SW Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Overcast Snow(in) 1-4 1-4 6-9 Snowpack Discussion Five inches of new snow from Friday tops the roughly 3 meter deep snowpack in the Southern San Juan. Moderate southwesterly winds continue to transport snow onto northeasterly aspects creating fresh soft slabs in exposed areas. Underneath the new slabs, the snowpack is slowly adjusting to the big load it received at the beginning of the week. A forecaster in the area noted moderate failures in stability tests at the new/ old snow interface on Friday. There were two interesting avalanches near Pagosa Thursday, on west to northwest aspects around 7200 feet. They broke 2-3 feet deep and several hundred feet wide. A good reminder that unusual storms bring unusual avalanches. In many locations the recent slabs sit atop buried surface hoar, facets or crusts. These layers make a poor foundation. The main avalanche problem is recently deposited slabs, and how well they bonded to the underlying snow. Evaluate that bond carefully before you venture onto steep slopes. Avalanche Danger The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on all slopes above treeline. Unstable slabs are probable on steep, wind loaded slopes. Near and below treeline the danger is MODERATE. Unstable slabs are possible on steep slopes. Watch for slopes with old windloading, even at lower elevations where trees are open enough to allow windloading. [57]Please let us know if you see any avalanche activity or experienced signs of instability. Sangre de Christo ================= Current Keywords: avalanche danger, dense, drifted, precipitation , trough, wind loaded, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Sangre De Cristo Zone Forecast Issued on 2/2/2008 6:58:54 AM Forecaster: Ann Mellick Weather Synopsis Our active weather pattern continues with snow expected statewide over the next several days. A shortwave trough continues to track across Colorado today bringing light snowfall to the high country. Snow will diminish overnight Saturday, but will increase again on Sunday. Our next big snow producer, currently edging into Northern California and Oregon, will continue to dig south and east reaching the state by tomorrow. This system will bring heavy snowfall with storm totals ranging from 1-2 feet, and up to 3 feet in areas favored by southwest flow, namely the Southern San Juan and Crested Butte. Precipitation intensity looks the strongest overnight Sunday, with snow continuing through Monday. A drier airmass moves in Tuesday with yet another weak system projected to slide in Wednesday. Weather Saturday Saturday Night Sunday Temperature(°F) 13-18 8-13 15-20 Wind Speed(mph) 15-25 15-25 20-30 Wind Direction WSW WSW SW Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Snow(in) 0-2 0-2 1-4 Snowpack Discussion The Sangres have missed the bulk of the moisture from recent storms, though got more than their share of wind. While we do not know exactly how much snow accumulated in the mountains, we do know that strong winds battered the range, redistributing any snow that did fall. Expect north through east through southerly aspects to be loaded and drifted. The Sangres have a relatively shallow snowpack, capped by a variety of dense windslabs. Carefully examine the structure and stratigraphy of the snowpack before committing to slopes over 30 degrees. As always, we really like to get observations, even if it is just cloud cover and new snow from the valley floors. Avalanche Danger We have insufficient information to issue an avalanche danger for the Sangre De Christo zone. Carefully evaluate steep wind loaded slopes and be very aware of changing conditions. Please send observations from this or any other zone to [57]caic@qwest.net Sawatch ======= Current Keywords: CONSIDERABLE, MODERATE, avalanche danger, cross loaded, human triggered avalanches, powder , precipitation , probe, shovel, slab, slabs, trough, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Sawatch Range Zone Forecast Issued on 2/2/2008 6:51:32 AM Forecaster: Ann Mellick Weather Synopsis Our active weather pattern continues with snow expected statewide over the next several days. A shortwave trough continues to track across Colorado today bringing light snowfall to the high country. Snow will diminish overnight Saturday, but will increase again on Sunday. Our next big snow producer, currently edging into Northern California and Oregon, will continue to dig south and east reaching the state by tomorrow. This system will bring heavy snowfall with storm totals ranging from 1-2 feet, and up to 3 feet in areas favored by southwest flow, namely the Southern San Juan and Crested Butte. Precipitation intensity looks the strongest overnight Sunday, with snow continuing through Monday. A drier airmass moves in Tuesday with yet another weak system projected to slide in Wednesday. Weather Saturday Saturday Night Sunday Temperature(°F) 10-15 0-5 12-17 Wind Speed(mph) 15-25 15-25 15-25 Wind Direction WSW W WSW Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Overcast Snow(in) 0-3 0-3 3-6 Snowpack Discussion Up to 16 inches of new snow fell on Monarch Pass over the past 24 hours. Westerly winds strong enough to transport ample available snow, are creating fresh slabs on easterly aspects. In addition, winds earlier in the week from the south, west, and north, left soft slabs on most aspects near and above treeline. You will find fresh slabs below ridges and on cross loaded terrain features facing north, northeast, east, southeast and south. Look for slabs further down the slope than usual as well as below treeline. Dig down to get a feel for the depth and distribution of slab layers. The more you use your shovel and probe to gather snowpack information, the less likely you are to need them for rescue. Pay close attention to cracking on the surface. This is a good indication that you are not only on a slkab but that the slab is capable of zippering open if the slope is steep enough to slide. Choose your terrain wisely if traveling in the backcountry today. New snow may hide older slabs so dig down and get a feel for what you are traveling on. Avoid slopes steeper than 34 degrees, ride one at a time and have your escape route planned. Human triggered avalanches remain probable on north through east through south aspects near and above treeline. More snow and wind is in the forecast through the weekend, so do not expect the avalanche danger to decrease. Remember that powder always looks good,so test it before you ride. Avalanche Danger The avalanche danger in the Sawatch Zone is CONSIDERABLE on all aspects near and above treeline. Human triggered avalanches are probable on steep slopes. The avalanche danger is MODERATE on all aspects below treeline. You may find unstable windslabs on steep slopes, even below treeline in open areas. [57]Please let us know if you see any avalanche activity or experienced signs of instability. Your observations are very important to us! Steamboat ========= Current Keywords: CONSIDERABLE, MODERATE, avalanche danger, crossloaded, crossloading, crown, crust, drift, drifted, powder , precipitation , ski cut, slab, slabs, trough, weak layers, windloaded, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Steamboat and Parks Range Zone Forecast Issued on 2/2/2008 6:11:51 AM Forecaster: Ann Mellick Weather Synopsis Our active weather pattern continues with snow expected statewide over the next several days. A shortwave trough continues to track across Colorado today bringing light snowfall to the high country. Snow will diminish overnight Saturday, but will increase again on Sunday. Our next big snow producer, currently edging into Northern California and Oregon, will continue to dig south and east reaching the state by tomorrow. This system will bring heavy snowfall with storm totals ranging from 1-2 feet, and up to 3 feet in areas favored by southwest flow, namely the Southern San Juan and Crested Butte. Precipitation intensity looks the strongest overnight Sunday, with snow continuing through Monday. A drier airmass moves in Tuesday with yet another weak system projected to slide in Wednesday. Weather Saturday Saturday Night Sunday Temperature(°F) 15-20 0-5 17-22 Wind Speed(mph) 10-20 10-20 10-20 Wind Direction WSW SW S Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Overcast Snow(in) 1-3 2-4 3-5 Snowpack Discussion Sadly, Colorado's fifth avalanche fatality occurred Friday in the southwestern Flat Tops. A snomobiler triggered an avalanche on a steep slope, 1.5 to 3 feet deep, 600 feet wide and running 300 feet downhill. CAIC forecasters will go to the accident site Saturday. We will report details as they become available. Click here for the [57]preliminary report. An observer reported a skier triggered avalanche Thursday in the Buffalo Pass area. The slide was on a crossloaded southeast aspect around 10,600 feet. This soft slab broke 80 feet wide, and the bed surface was a sun crust. It was on a ski cut, when the skier hit a spot where the crust was only a foot below the surface, but propagated into deep drifted snow where the crown was up to 4 feet deep (SS-ASc-R2D2-O). The slope angle was 33-35 degrees. With no visibility Friday, observers can not see any more activity, but note that most steep roofs have avalanched. Roof avalanches can be a nasty, dangerous surprise. New snowfall is roughly 2 feet at the ski area. Wind have been just sufficient to drift a bit of snow near ridgelines and at high elevations. You will need to watch for new, recent, and older windslabs and crossloading. Over the past week winds have stacked up some slabs on north through east to southeast aspects. The older slabs are buried under powder and may look good, but all the powder can add up to a sizable avalanche. A slide triggered in the upper layers could step down to deeper layers. At some point, the snow might pile up too fast and overwhelm weak layers in the snowpack. Sluffs, too, could get big enough to pop out slabs. Choose your terrain carefully to avoid steep windloaded or crossloaded slopes. Avalanche Danger The avalanche danger in the Steamboat Zone is CONSIDERABLE on north, northeast, east, southeast and south aspects near and above treeline. On other aspects and below treeline the danger is MODERATE. Human triggered slides are possible to probable today. If you have any observations or data to share, please send them to [58]caic@qwest.net. Vail ==== Current Keywords: CONSIDERABLE, MODERATE, avalanche danger, crossloaded, human triggered avalanches, naturals, powder. , precipitation , slab, slabs, trough, windloading, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Vail and Summit County Zone Forecast Issued on 2/2/2008 8:17:01 AM Forecaster: Spencer Logan Weather Synopsis Our active weather pattern continues with snow expected statewide over the next several days. A shortwave trough continues to track across Colorado today bringing light snowfall to the high country. Snow will diminish overnight Saturday, but will increase again on Sunday. Our next big snow producer, currently edging into Northern California and Oregon, will continue to dig south and east reaching the state by tomorrow. This system will bring heavy snowfall with storm totals ranging from 1-2 feet, and up to 3 feet in areas favored by southwest flow, namely the Southern San Juan and Crested Butte. Precipitation intensity looks the strongest overnight Sunday, with snow continuing through Monday. A drier airmass moves in Tuesday with yet another weak system projected to slide in Wednesday. Weather Saturday Saturday Night Sunday Temperature(°F) 10-15 0-5 15-20 Wind Speed(mph) 10-20 10-20 10-20 Wind Direction WSW SW WSW Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Snow(in) 2-4 1-3 1-4 Snowpack Discussion Natural slab avalanche activity occurred in the Ten-Mile Range Thursday. Most of the reported activity occurred in the Peak 6.5 through Peak 5 area above tree line on east aspects. There was a 3 hour period of intense windloading Thursday morning in the 10 Mile, with very sensitive hard slabs formed over several inches of powder. After this event, one sizeable slide was triggered remotely. The hard slabs formed on southeast aspects near treeline, an unusual loading pattern. In the Vail Pass area, observers noted a few naturals above tree line on northeast through south aspects that looked to have occurred sometime after Tuesday. Fracture lines were blown in but the debris piles at the bottom were still present. Reports of impressively snow plumes in the Gore Range also came in, suggesting lots of wind loading. New snow combined with winds strong enough to transport snow have created soft and hard slabs over the last few days. Look for soft slabs below ridges and on crossloaded terrain features facing north, northeast, east, southeast and south. Earlier in the week, slabs formed on most aspects from very strong winds ranging from south to west to north. Expect to find these slabs further down slopes than usual and below treeline. Pay close attention to cracking on the surface, as it is a good indicator that you are not only on a slab but that you may trigger a slide. Choose your terrain wisely if traveling in the backcountry today. New snow may hide older slabs so dig down and get a feel for what you are traveling on. Avoid slopes steeper than 34 degrees, ride one at a time and have your escape route planned. Human triggered avalanches remain probable on north through east through south aspects near and above treeline. More snow and wind is in the forecast through the weekend, so do not expect the avalanche danger to decrease. Remember that powder always looks good,so test it before you ride. Avalanche Danger The avalanche danger in the Vail-Summit Zone is CONSIDERABLE on north, northeast, east, southeast, and south aspects near and above treeline. Human triggered avalanches are probable on steep slopes. The avalanche danger is MODERATE on other aspects above treeline and on all slopes below treeline. You may find unstable windslabs on steep slopes, even below treeline in open areas.