Front Range - Archived Avalanche Advisory, Expired Special Avalanche Advisory Issued: Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 5:00 AM Expires: Monday, February 15, 2021 at 8:00 PM A Special Avalanche Advisory is in effect for the mountains of Colorado through Monday February 15. Avalanche conditions are unusual. Backcountry travelers can trigger avalanches that may break very wide and run the full length of the avalanche path. Your normal routes and safety habits may not keep you out of a dangerous avalanche. Backcountry travelers need to take extra precautions this weekend. Check current conditions for the area you plan to travel. Adjust your plan for the day to fit the current avalanche conditions. Backcountry Avalanche Forecast Sun, Feb 14, 2021 at 6:53 AM Issued by: Ben Pritchett Sunday and Monday Above Treeline : Considerable (3) Dangerous avalanche conditions. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. Near Treeline : Considerable (3) Dangerous avalanche conditions. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. Below Treeline : Considerable (3) Dangerous avalanche conditions. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. Summary You can large, broad-breaking, far-running avalanches on many slopes, particularly those with signs of recent wind-loading. The most dangerous slopes face north through east to southeast, where recent winds have built fresh slabs up to 3 feet deep. An avalanche that starts in the recent storm snow will most likely break down into layers of old weak snow below. Avoid travel on or below slopes steeper than about 30 degrees. Avalanche Problem Persistent Slab N -> SE All Elevations Likely Large to Very Large 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. Sun, Feb 14, 2021 at 7:36 AM Issued by: Kreston Rohrig Statewide Weather Forecast As recent storm snow settles out, you may not see as many obvious signs of instability like shooting cracks or loud collapses. This does not mean that things are safe, and slopes are "game on." Quite the opposite. We now have thick cohesive slabs built on more aspects and elevations than we've seen all year. Up to this point, the Persistent Slab avalanche problem was concentrated on wind-drifted slopes near and above treeline because those aspects were the few that actually had a slab. Now, the problem is much more widespread. From our findings over the past few days (albeit with a little low angle pow skiing and slednecking), we now have a supportive and dangerous slab at all elevations (except for high elevation west where the snow blew away). Below treeline has been a bear for skiing and riding this year due to the entirely faceted structure and lack of supportive layers. This has changed over the past two weekends with two powerful storms, and voila, now we have a dangerous slab/weak layer combination below treeline and in previously thin areas. Further complicating this equation is the weak/junky snow in these areas will really struggle to support the weight of these new slabs, and may easily fail in steep terrain. The avalanche danger will likely stay elevated at Considerable (3 of 5) for severl days, especially as more snow rolls through. It is imperative that you keep your terrain choices conservative for the foreseeable future. There was an extremely close call yesterday again in the East Vail backcountry, resulting in a full burial, but thankfully live recovery. Keep it mellow people, uncertainty is high, conditions are dangerous, and lots of folks are out in the mountains.