Aspen ===== Current Keywords: MODERATE, cross loaded, crusts, human triggered avalanches, probe, shovel, slabs, weak layer, weak layers, wind loaded, wind slabs, windloading, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Aspen Zone Forecast Issued on 2/17/2008 3:56:11 PM Forecaster: Spencer Logan Weather Synopsis A ridge over the Pacific coast will keep Colorado under northwest flow through Monday. Most of the shortwave disturbance that swept through Sunday this morning is gone, out over southeastern Colorado. There are more weak disturbances upstream, but none of them are as juicy as this morning's was. They have just enough moisture to keep scattered, light snow possible in all the mountains through Monday night. Accumulations will be a few inches at the most, except in the Northern Mountains. The Park and Gore ranges and the Vail Pass area may see 3-6 inches in the deepest areas. Temperatures will rebound Monday. Winds remain in the teens and twenties, with stronger gusts, through Monday too. Tuesday a closed low tries to punch under the ridge to our west. If the low is successful, it will start another period of unsettled weather for the rest of the week. Stay tuned... Weather Sunday Night Monday Monday Night Temperature(°F) -5 to 0 18-23 0-5 Wind Speed(mph) 15-25 20-30 15-25 Wind Direction NW NW WNW Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Snow(in) 0-2 0-1 0 Snowpack Discussion Recent warm temperatures and calm winds have allowed the snowpack to adjust to the load of new snow we received earlier in the week, but this process does take time. It also formed sun crusts on southeasterly aspects. Although it felt spring-like for a couple days, we are deep into the winter season and have a complex snowpack with variable stratigraphy including stacks of both soft and hard slabs amongst a variety of weak layers. Northwest winds will pick up again Saturday night into Sunday adding yet another layer of thin slabs onto east, southeast, and south aspects near and above treeline. With crusts underneath, the new slabs could slide far and fast. The new snow disguises older wind slabs from strong south and southwest winds that blew earlier this week. These multiple upper snowpack slabs and weak layers will be your biggest concern for avalanche activity today. Recent winds have created a variable snowpack with areas of wind loaded and cross loaded snow on a variety of aspects. Use your shovel and probe to get a feel for the depth and distribution of these layers and be sure to check the bond between them before committing to avalanche terrain. Don't let the above average snow year and stronger snow in the middle of the snowpack fool you. Areas of the Aspen zone where snow depths are shallower still have a typical Colorado snowpack with its strong over weak layering and concern for deep instabilities, namely on Independence Pass and in the Upper Castle Creek valley. Avalanche Danger Avalanche danger for the Aspen zone today is MODERATE on all aspects and elevations. Human triggered avalanches remain possible. On all aspects, the most suspect areas are steep slopes with new and recent windloading. The CAIC Aspen office needs your avalanche, snowpack, or weather observations. Drop us and e-mail at [57]caic@qwest.net with any Front Range =========== Current Keywords: CONSIDERABLE, MODERATE, avalanche cycle, avalanche danger, crossloaded, crowns, faceted, facets, human triggered, human triggered avalanches, settle, slab, slabs, weak layers, wind loaded, windloaded, windloading, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Front Range Zone Forecast Issued on 2/17/2008 4:00:20 PM Forecaster: Spencer Logan Weather Synopsis A ridge over the Pacific coast will keep Colorado under northwest flow through Monday. Most of the shortwave disturbance that swept through Sunday this morning is gone, out over southeastern Colorado. There are more weak disturbances upstream, but none of them are as juicy as this morning's was. They have just enough moisture to keep scattered, light snow possible in all the mountains through Monday night. Accumulations will be a few inches at the most, except in the Northern Mountains. The Park and Gore ranges and the Vail Pass area may see 3-6 inches in the deepest areas. Temperatures will rebound Monday. Winds remain in the teens and twenties, with stronger gusts, through Monday too. Tuesday a closed low tries to punch under the ridge to our west. If the low is successful, it will start another period of unsettled weather for the rest of the week. Stay tuned... Weather Sunday Night Monday Monday Night Temperature(°F) 0-5 15-20 5-10 Wind Speed(mph) 20-30 20-30 G40 15-25 Wind Direction WNW WNW NW Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Snow(in) 0-1 0-2 0 Snowpack Discussion Control work in the Cameron Pass area on Friday got good results. Eleven hard slabs were triggered with crowns ranging from 1-5 feet. Some ran on an interface in older windslabs, while others failed on weak faceted snow near the ground. Stability tests in the Loveland Pass area on Saturday yielded similar findings: slabs breaking reluctantly within older windslabs near the surface, or hard but clean failures near the ground on buried facets (CT25 Q1, RB7). In the Vail Summit Zone, a skier triggered a sizable avalanche in the Montezuma area, but we have no details. As the stability tests and skier-triggered slide indicate, you would have to hit just the right (or wrong) spot to trigger a deep slide, but the resulting avalanche could be quite large. Take a look at the evidence from the avalanche cycle of a week ago. There were lots of big, deep hardslabs, some of which ran quite far. Now imagine your body tumbling with all that snow... The most likely place to trigger a deep slab is on convexities, near rock bands, vegetation, or low on the slope where slabs are thinner and weak layers are closer to the surface. Once initiated, fractures often propagate into much deeper snow. The weaknesses in the upper snowpack are easier to evaluate. Northwest winds picked up Saturday afternoon and have continued, loading available snow onto east, southeast and south aspects near and above treeline. Expect some fresh windslabs loaded onto easterly and southerly aspects near and above treeline. Sunday morning, observers mentioned that the new snow was not bonding to the older snow underneath. Saturday, observers reported a small hiker triggered avalanche in Loch Vale in Rocky Mountain National Park. The slide was on a short, crossloaded slope, and was 6 to 18 inches deep. With a few inches of new snow, the slabs could be a foot or more thick. Warmer temperatures have helped settle the middle of the snowpack. Avalanches have become less frequent though weak interfaces persist, keeping human triggered slides possible in most locations. The snowpack is complex, with stacks of both soft and hard slabs amongst a variety of weak layers. Use caution in wind loaded areas where fresh slabs will become increasingly reactive to the weight of a backcountry traveler and keep the consequence of a deep slab in the back of your mind. Avalanche Danger There are pockets of CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger on windloaded east, southeast, and south aspects near and above treeline. Watch slopes steeper than 30 degrees with fresh windloading. The danger is MODERATE on all other aspects and elevations. Human triggered avalanches are possible to probable on steep, windloaded slopes, and have the potential to break deeply. Grand Mesa ========== Current Keywords: LOW, avalanche danger, lee , sluffing, stabilization, whumpfing, wind loaded, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Grand Mesa Zone Forecast Issued on 2/17/2008 3:53:49 PM Forecaster: Spencer Logan Weather Synopsis A ridge over the Pacific coast will keep Colorado under northwest flow through Monday. Most of the shortwave disturbance that swept through Sunday this morning is gone, out over southeastern Colorado. There are more weak disturbances upstream, but none of them are as juicy as this morning's was. They have just enough moisture to keep scattered, light snow possible in all the mountains through Monday night. Accumulations will be a few inches at the most, except in the Northern Mountains. The Park and Gore ranges and the Vail Pass area may see 3-6 inches in the deepest areas. Temperatures will rebound Monday. Winds remain in the teens and twenties, with stronger gusts, through Monday too. Tuesday a closed low tries to punch under the ridge to our west. If the low is successful, it will start another period of unsettled weather for the rest of the week. Stay tuned... Weather Sunday Night Monday Monday Night Temperature(°F) 3-8 22-27 8-13 Wind Speed(mph) 10-20 15-25 10-20 Wind Direction N N NW Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Mostly Clear Snow(in) 0-1 0 0 Snowpack Discussion Warm temperatures and light winds have encouraged rapid stabilization in the snowpack. There have been no new avalanches reported from the Grand Mesa area in the last two weeks, indicating a mostly stable snowpack. Any new snow accumulations from the weekend will be modest and will not add a significant load, though strong winds will move available snow onto lee south and easterly aspects. The greatest danger in the Grand Mesa Zone continues to be the many small, steep wind loaded slopes and terrain traps. Be sure to evaluate steep slopes before you cross. Watch for signs of instability such as whumpfing noises, propagating cracks, or recent slide activity and avoid slopes where such signs are noted. Avalanche Danger The avalanche danger for the Grand Mesa is LOW on all aspects and elevations. Watch for sluffing in the new snow and areas of unstable snow on very steep slopes and terrain traps. Watch for sluffing in the new snow and areas of unstable snow on very steep slopes and terrain traps. Please send observations from this or any other zone to [57]caic@qwest.net San Juan North ============== Current Keywords: CONSIDERABLE, MODERATE, avalanche danger, bed surfaces, crust, crusts, drifting, facet, human triggered, natural avalanche, paths, slabs, sluffs, windloaded, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Northern San Juan Mountain Zone Forecast Issued on 2/17/2008 3:52:53 PM Forecaster: Spencer Logan Weather Synopsis A ridge over the Pacific coast will keep Colorado under northwest flow through Monday. Most of the shortwave disturbance that swept through Sunday this morning is gone, out over southeastern Colorado. There are more weak disturbances upstream, but none of them are as juicy as this morning's was. They have just enough moisture to keep scattered, light snow possible in all the mountains through Monday night. Accumulations will be a few inches at the most, except in the Northern Mountains. The Park and Gore ranges and the Vail Pass area may see 3-6 inches in the deepest areas. Temperatures will rebound Monday. Winds remain in the teens and twenties, with stronger gusts, through Monday too. Tuesday a closed low tries to punch under the ridge to our west. If the low is successful, it will start another period of unsettled weather for the rest of the week. Stay tuned... Weather Sunday Night Monday Monday Night Temperature(°F) -5 to 0 15-20 3-8 Wind Speed(mph) 15-25 15-25 10-20 Wind Direction NNW N N Sky Cover Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Mostly Clear Snow(in) 0 0 0 Snowpack Discussion Moderate to strong northerly winds began blowing Saturday afternoon. The winds are eroding snow of the northerly aspects. It is ending up on southerly aspects, drifting into some tender slabs. Southerly slopes were sun-affected at all elevations late last week, resulting in slick crusts that can act as smooth bed surfaces for new slabs to slip on. There will be some repeat activity on paths that have already avalanched in the backcountry this season. Starting zones with a south to east aspect have the most problematic crust/facet combination, and are being reloaded by strong northwest winds. The upper snowpack continues to be the area of primary concern so dig around and check the bond between the new/old snow interface before venturing onto steeper slopes. The Red Mountain Pass area got the brunt of the past storm. CAIC/CDOT crews on highway 550 got good results with mitigation efforts on both Thursday and Friday -- triggered slides were released from most aspects both above and below treeline. Several of the reported avalanches were repeat performers, likely running on the same bed surfaces as their predecessors earlier this season. Telluride snow safety teams also reported consistent triggered releases in the new snow layer on Friday. Very little natural avalanche activity was reported from the backcountry, mostly loose sluffs from steep terrain. Continue to practice wise route finding and decision making. We still have a complex snowpack where human triggered slides remain probable near and above treeline. Avoid steep slopes and stick to terrain with smaller consequences. Avalanche Danger The avalanche danger in the Northern San Juan is CONSIDERABLE on east, southeast, south and southwest aspects near and above treeline. Expect to find unstable windslabs on most steep slopes. The danger is MODERATE on other aspects and below treeline. Natural avalanches are possible on these slopes, especially steep, windloaded areas. [57]Please let us know if you see any avalanche activity or signs of instability. San Juan South ============== Current Keywords: CONSIDERABLE, MODERATE, avalanche danger, facets, natural avalanche, settle, ski cut, slab, slabs, windloaded, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Southern San Juan Mountain Zone Forecast Issued on 2/17/2008 3:49:08 PM Forecaster: Spencer Logan Weather Synopsis A ridge over the Pacific coast will keep Colorado under northwest flow through Monday. Most of the shortwave disturbance that swept through Sunday this morning is gone, out over southeastern Colorado. There are more weak disturbances upstream, but none of them are as juicy as this morning's was. They have just enough moisture to keep scattered, light snow possible in all the mountains through Monday night. Accumulations will be a few inches at the most, except in the Northern Mountains. The Park and Gore ranges and the Vail Pass area may see 3-6 inches in the deepest areas. Temperatures will rebound Monday. Winds remain in the teens and twenties, with stronger gusts, through Monday too. Tuesday a closed low tries to punch under the ridge to our west. If the low is successful, it will start another period of unsettled weather for the rest of the week. Stay tuned... Weather Sunday Night Monday Monday Night Temperature(°F) 0-5 25-30 10-15 Wind Speed(mph) 10-20 5-15 5-15 Wind Direction NNW WNW NNW Sky Cover Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Mostly Clear Snow(in) 0-1 0 0 Snowpack Discussion Three avalanches were reported on Saturday. One group watched a natural avalanche run on a windloaded northeast aspect around 11,700 feet. The slide was 2 feet deep, 150 feet across and ran 300 vertical feet. On a ski cut, a skier remotely triggered a slide on an east aspect around 11,200 feet. The slide broke about 50 feet below the skier, on a very thin layer of near surface facets two feet below the surface. A loose avalanche triggered a slab near Durango Mountain Resort, on an east aspect below treeline. The slab broke three feet to the ground. Mild weather prior to the recent storm helped the older snowpack to settle and strengthen. With such a deep snowpack in the area, our primary avalanche concern remains in the recent snow, so check the bonding in the upper layers before committing to steeper slopes. The top layer of snow will be the easiest to move. With care, you can get into steeper terrain and bigger lines, but evaluate the snowpack very carefully. North and northwest winds increased overnight Saturday and into Sunday, redistributing available snow onto east, southeast, south and southwest aspects near and above treeline. Expect to find tender slabs on these slopes as they reload once again. Continue to practice wise route finding and decision making. Avalanche Danger The avalanche danger for the Southern San Juan zone is CONSIDERABLE on northeast, east, southeast, south, and southwest slopes near and above treeline. Expect shallow, recently loaded windslabs in steep terrain. On other aspects and elevations the danger is MODERATE. [57]Please let us know if you see any avalanche activity or experienced signs of instability. Sangre de Christo ================= Current Keywords: avalanche danger, consolidated, lee , precipitation , slabby, slabs, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Sangre De Cristo Zone Forecast Issued on 2/17/2008 3:47:54 PM Forecaster: Spencer Logan Weather Synopsis A ridge over the Pacific coast will keep Colorado under northwest flow through Monday. Most of the shortwave disturbance that swept through Sunday this morning is gone, out over southeastern Colorado. There are more weak disturbances upstream, but none of them are as juicy as this morning's was. They have just enough moisture to keep scattered, light snow possible in all the mountains through Monday night. Accumulations will be a few inches at the most, except in the Northern Mountains. The Park and Gore ranges and the Vail Pass area may see 3-6 inches in the deepest areas. Temperatures will rebound Monday. Winds remain in the teens and twenties, with stronger gusts, through Monday too. Tuesday a closed low tries to punch under the ridge to our west. If the low is successful, it will start another period of unsettled weather for the rest of the week. Stay tuned... Weather Sunday Night Monday Monday Night Temperature(°F) -2 to 3 18-23 5-10 Wind Speed(mph) 15-25 15-25 10-20 Wind Direction NW NW WNW Sky Cover Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Mostly Clear Snow(in) 0-1 0 0 Snowpack Discussion The Sangres have missed out on the bulk of precipitation from storms this year. Winds in the most recent storm blew from the southeast, making some interesting loading patterns. Strong northwesterly winds will now move any available snow back onto south and easterly faces. The older snowpack remains slabby and extremely wind-effected. Over the course of the winter, strong winds scoured snow from fetches, and consolidated it into hard windslabs up to 4 feet thick in lee areas. These are the localized areas where deep slabs avalanches are still possible. Use extra caution on steep slopes near and above treeline with snow loaded on them. Also, we often see increased slide activity with the first warm-up. Wet loose slides will be most likely on sunny slopes, especially below treeline on Saturday. Even a small slide may take you somewhere you do not want to be. Avoid steep terrain until you have checked it out thoroughly. Avalanche Danger We have insufficient information to make an avalanche danger rating for the Sangres at this time. Watch for windslabs on all steep, open slopes. Please send observations from this or any other zone to [57]caic@qwest.net Sawatch ======= Current Keywords: MODERATE, avalanche danger, human triggered, human triggered avalanches, natural avalanches, settle, slab, slabs, weak layers, windloaded, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Sawatch Range Zone Forecast Issued on 2/17/2008 3:46:55 PM Forecaster: Spencer Logan Weather Synopsis A ridge over the Pacific coast will keep Colorado under northwest flow through Monday. Most of the shortwave disturbance that swept through Sunday this morning is gone, out over southeastern Colorado. There are more weak disturbances upstream, but none of them are as juicy as this morning's was. They have just enough moisture to keep scattered, light snow possible in all the mountains through Monday night. Accumulations will be a few inches at the most, except in the Northern Mountains. The Park and Gore ranges and the Vail Pass area may see 3-6 inches in the deepest areas. Temperatures will rebound Monday. Winds remain in the teens and twenties, with stronger gusts, through Monday too. Tuesday a closed low tries to punch under the ridge to our west. If the low is successful, it will start another period of unsettled weather for the rest of the week. Stay tuned... Weather Sunday Night Monday Monday Night Temperature(°F) -5 to 0 18-23 3-8 Wind Speed(mph) 15-25 15-25 15-25 Wind Direction WNW NW WNW Sky Cover Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Snow(in) 0-2 0 0 Snowpack Discussion Avalanche activity has dropped off with no new reported slides in almost a week. There were several triggered and natural avalanches northwest of Taylor Reservoir. Check the Gunnison forecast if you will be riding on the west side of the Sawatch Zone. Recent mild weather helped to settle the snowpack. Avalanches have become less frequent though weak interfaces persist, keeping human triggered slides possible in most locations. We have a complex snowpack with variable layering, including stacks of both soft and hard slabs and a variety of weak layers. This can be a tricky time. Look for unstable layers near the snowpack surface. Shallow accumulations and winds from a variety of directions have formed windslabs on many slopes near and above treeline. Take a few minutes to poke at the upper layers before you get into avalanche terrain. Deep slabs remain an infrequent but very real problem; particularly near and above treeline. The most likely place to trigger a deep slab is near rock bands, vegetation or low on the slope where slabs are thinner and weak layers are closer to the surface. Once initiated, fractures often propagate long distances and into much deeper snow. Deep slabs are tricky to predict, and often result in very large slides. Avalanche Danger The avalanche danger for the Sawatch Zone is MODERATE on all aspects and elevations. Human triggered avalanches are possible on steep, windloaded slopes, and have the potential to break deeply. Stability is improving, but we are not out of the woods yet. [57]Please let us know if you see any avalanche activity or experienced signs of instability. Steamboat ========= Current Keywords: LOW, MODERATE, avalanche danger, consolidated, drifting, drifts, human triggered avalanches, sluff, windslabs, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Steamboat and Parks Range Zone Forecast Issued on 2/17/2008 4:00:39 PM Forecaster: Spencer Logan Weather Synopsis A ridge over the Pacific coast will keep Colorado under northwest flow through Monday. Most of the shortwave disturbance that swept through Sunday this morning is gone, out over southeastern Colorado. There are more weak disturbances upstream, but none of them are as juicy as this morning's was. They have just enough moisture to keep scattered, light snow possible in all the mountains through Monday night. Accumulations will be a few inches at the most, except in the Northern Mountains. The Park and Gore ranges and the Vail Pass area may see 3-6 inches in the deepest areas. Temperatures will rebound Monday. Winds remain in the teens and twenties, with stronger gusts, through Monday too. Tuesday a closed low tries to punch under the ridge to our west. If the low is successful, it will start another period of unsettled weather for the rest of the week. Stay tuned... Weather Sunday Night Monday Monday Night Temperature(°F) 0-5 15-20 8-13 Wind Speed(mph) 15-25 15-25 15-25 Wind Direction NW W W Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Snow(in) 0-3 0-2 0-1 Snowpack Discussion Things have gotten quiet in the Steamboat Zone. The little bits of snow are keeping the snow surface fresh, but not changing the staiblity very much. Winds were northwesterly and the ideal speed for drifting some snow. The winds will stay at that perfect speed as they shift to the west on Monday. Watch for some shallow, fresh windslabs on high elevations or exposed slopes. Those fresh drifts and windslabs are the main avalanche concern. Check the bond within upper layers before committing to steeper terrain. New snow may not stick well to older harder surfaces and even a relatively small sluff may take you somewhere you do not want to be. The older snowpack has consolidated under the recent mild temperatures, and is now fairly strong. Avalanche Danger The avalanche danger for the Steamboat Zone is MODERATE on all aspects near and above treeline. Human triggered avalanches are possible on all aspects near and above treeline. Watch for recent drifting and loading. The danger is LOW on all aspects below treeline. If you have any observations or data to share, please send them to [57]caic@qwest.net. Vail ==== Current Keywords: CONSIDERABLE, MODERATE, avalanche danger, cornice, drift, facets, human triggered, human triggered avalanches, ski cut, slab, slabs, suncrusts, wind loaded, windloaded, windloading, Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Vail and Summit County Zone Forecast Issued on 2/17/2008 3:59:19 PM Forecaster: Spencer Logan Weather Synopsis A ridge over the Pacific coast will keep Colorado under northwest flow through Monday. Most of the shortwave disturbance that swept through Sunday this morning is gone, out over southeastern Colorado. There are more weak disturbances upstream, but none of them are as juicy as this morning's was. They have just enough moisture to keep scattered, light snow possible in all the mountains through Monday night. Accumulations will be a few inches at the most, except in the Northern Mountains. The Park and Gore ranges and the Vail Pass area may see 3-6 inches in the deepest areas. Temperatures will rebound Monday. Winds remain in the teens and twenties, with stronger gusts, through Monday too. Tuesday a closed low tries to punch under the ridge to our west. If the low is successful, it will start another period of unsettled weather for the rest of the week. Stay tuned... Weather Sunday Night Monday Monday Night Temperature(°F) 0-5 15-20 5-10 Wind Speed(mph) 15-25 20-30 15-25 Wind Direction WNW WNW NW Sky Cover Mostly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Snow(in) 0-2 0-1 0 Snowpack Discussion Avalanche activity slowed down with just a few slides to report. Saturday there was a skier triggered avalanche in Peru Creek, near Montezuma. It was reported as big, capable of destroying buildings (D4), but no other details. There was another skier triggered slide just south of the Breckenridge ski area. You have to hit just the right (or wrong) spot to trigger a large avalanche. The most likely place to trigger a deep slab is on convexities, near rock bands, vegetation, or low on the slope where slabs are thinner and weak layers are closer to the surface. Once initiated, fractures often propagate into much deeper snow. Northwest winds picked up again on Saturday afternoon and have continued. Any available snow has been loaded onto east, southeast, and south aspects near and above treeline. Sunday morning, observers reported reactive slabs just below the ridgelines on east through south aspects. The slabs are 2 to 4 feet thick, and sandwich a thin layer of facets on top of suncrusts. When triggered with cornice kicking or ski cuts, the slides were narrow but ran quite far downslope. On Saturday an observer near Breckenridge noted reactive soft slabs in wind loaded areas above treeline. Those slabs propagated widely, but only ran a short distance before stopping. Narrow or wide, these new slabs are our main avalanche concern. Additional snow accumulations will be modest, though winds can drift even a few inches of snow into shallow slabs. Use caution in wind loaded areas where fresh slabs will become increasingly reactive to the weight of a backcountry traveler. We still have a complex snowpack where human triggered slides remain possible, so continue to practice smart travel procedures and sound decision making. While triggering a deep slide has become less likely, if you find the right trigger point, the resulting slide may be deep and very large. Avalanche Danger There are pockets of CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger on windloaded east, southeast, and south aspects near and above treeline. Watch slopes steeper than 30 degrees with fresh windloading. The danger is MODERATE on all other aspects and elevations. Human triggered avalanches are possible to probable on steep, windloaded slopes, and have the potential to break deeply.