The Abajo Mountains picked up more than 2' of snow over the past 10 days. The underlying snowpack is very weak consisting of loose, sugary, faceted snow. The most recent storm snow has now settled into a cohesive slab over top of the weak, sugary snow underneath creating the perfect recipe for human triggered avalanches. The danger is greatest on steep, northerly facing slopes and human triggered avalanches are likely in these areas. Shifting strong winds over the past several days have also created unstable slabs of wind drifted snow. Wind slabs form on the leeward sides of ridge crests and terrain features such as gully walls and subridges. They are often recognizable by their smooth, rounded appearance, and cracking is a sign of instability. Avoid steep slopes that have recent deposits of wind drifted snow.

Visting ski tourer Chase Wesley sent in this observation from the old ski hill on Sunday. He noted a poor snowpack structure and red flag signs of instability such as cracking and whumphing. These red flags indicate a slab collapsing on a weak layer under the weight of a person. This is exactly how avalanches occurr.

NWS forecast for the Abajo Mountains.

Snow totals and temps at Buckboard Flat (8924')

Snow totals and temps at Camp Jackson (8858')