GNFAC Avalanche Advisory for Fri Oct 18, 2013
Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion
While the government was shut down, Mother Nature stayed hard at work. Over the past few weeks, a series of storms have kept the mountains unusually white for this time of year. In most mountain locations, one to two feet of snow exists above 8,000 ft.
More often than not, deep snow in October does more harm than good. The reason being, shallow-early season snowpacks are frequently exposed to strong temperature gradients, making them a weak foundation for future snows. However, if the snow keeps coming or if temperatures stay at or above average, a strong base could develop.