23-24

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Avalanche concerns through this weekend will chiefly be driven by the new snow that fell this week, in combination with warm temperatures and sunshine.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Avalanches could break in the recent snow, particularly on shady, high elevation slopes. These slides will be the largest and most concerning in areas that got the most new snow and on windloaded slopes. Triggering one of these avalanches is already much less likely than it was during the storm and they will become even harder to trigger as we get further out from the snowfall. Still, stay on alert for signs that the new snow is not bonded well, such as shooting cracks or unstable test results.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>On sunny slopes, the new snow provides the needed ammunition for big wet loose sluffs (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31834"><span><span><span><strong><span… from last week</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>). As the snow surface becomes wet and sticky or you start to see rollerballs and pinwheels, be on high alert. These slides will likely be confined to the new snow, but with a substantial amount of new snow they could pick up a big volume and be quite dangerous. Wet loose slides you trigger will likely break at your feet, but pay attention to what’s above you, because natural slides could come down and hit you from above.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Another concern to keep in the back of your mind is avalanches breaking deeper. Earlier this week a wet slab broke on Mt. Abundance near Cooke City (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31866"><span><span><span><strong><span… and photos</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>) and on Wednesday riders in the Little Bear area of the northern Gallatin Range remotely triggered a wet slab after the new snow loaded a still wet snowpack (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31866"><span><span><span><strong><span… and photos</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>). Remotely triggered wet slabs are unusual. After a few nights of solid freezes, I don’t expect to see more wet slabs over the next couple days, but regardless, seeing unusual avalanches makes us nervous (especially after the season we’ve had). It’s a good reminder that slides could still fail deeper, whether the snowpack is wet or still dry.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Remain diligent with your snowpack assessments and route-finding, and adapt your decision-making to changing conditions.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>