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Backcountry Avalanche Forecast
Front Range
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Summary
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We continue to receive reports of avalanches breaking into old, weak snow. Combine this with widespread shooting cracks and large thunderous collapses, and we have plenty of good evidence that dangerous avalanche conditions exist on north and east-facing slopes at higher elevations. The most suspect slopes now have freshly form wind-drifted slabs from the 1 to 4 inches of new snowfall, stacked on top of older early season snow. The slopes with the best coverage are also the slopes where you’re most likely to trigger an avalanche. You can trigger avalanches from a distance and from below, so give this terrain a wide buffer to address the unpredictability.
we now have slabs 1 to 2 feet thick on east-facing slopes, and you might be able to trigger an avalanches in just the freshly drifted snow even in areas that don’t harbor more deeply buried weak layers. Drum-like or hollow sounds underfoot are signs of this problem. You can reduce your risk by avoiding slopes where you observe active wind loading. |
| What You Need to Know About These Avalanches |
Persistent Slab avalanches can be triggered days to weeks after the last storm. They often propagate across and beyond terrain features that would otherwise confine Wind and Storm Slab avalanches. In some cases they can be triggered remotely, from low-angle terrain or adjacent slopes. Give yourself a wide safety buffer to address the uncertainty. |
| What You Need to Know About These Avalanches |
Wind Slab avalanches release naturally during wind events and can be triggered for up to a week after a wind event. They form in lee and cross-loaded terrain features. Avoid them by sticking to wind sheltered or wind scoured areas. |
Weather Forecast for 11,000ft
Issued Wednesday, November 22, 2017 at 6:33 AM by Brian Lazar
| Wednesday |
Wednesday Night |
Thursday |
| Temperature (ºF) |
35 to 40 |
25 to 30 |
40 to 45 |
| Wind Speed (mph) |
15 to 25 |
15 to 25 |
15-25 G50 |
| Wind Direction |
WNW |
WNW |
WNW |
| Sky Cover |
Mostly Cloudy |
Partly Cloudy |
Partly Cloudy |
| Snow (in) |
0 to 1 |
0 |
0 |
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