The small storms are adding up, with the upper elevations having over two feet of snow since the 20th. There have been 2 skier triggered slab avalanches in the last 5 days breaking near ground on weak, sugary faceted snow - in South Monitor and in Days Draw. Both slopes had a shallow snowpack because they avalanched earlier this winter (know as “repeaters”). This weak faceted snow layer is most widespread on upper elevation northwest through north through easterly facing terrain. Your are most likely to trigger a slide on this weak persistent layer on slopes with a shallow snow pack, less than about a meter deep, including “repeater” slopes in the core Cottonwoods zone, upper-elevation alpine terrain that was wind-scoured, as well as traditionally thinner snowpack areas such as the Park City ridge line and Millcreek Canyon.

The low density snow will continue to sluff today, especially during any periods of heavy snowfall. Even in wind sheltered areas, there could be natural sluffs after a few hours of heavy snowfall. Small sluffs can be serious if they take you into trees, off a cliff or for a long ride, so choose your terrain carefully and use slope cuts to minimize the chance of going for a ride.

Loose snow sluffs Mark White photo