Which describes favorable weather conditions for avalanche risk?

• A. Low wind; Temps just below 32; Deep, well compacted snow
• B. High wind; Very cold temps; Soft snowpack
• C. Moderate wind; Temps above 40; Powder
• D. Dry air; Sunshine; Crust

Answer: (A)

Weather and snowpack stability hinge on how layers bond and how loads can trigger a release. In the described mix, low wind means there’s no new wind slab forming on top of the existing snow, so the risk comes from the already present slab over a weaker layer deeper down. Temperatures just below freezing keep the surface frozen and help preserve a solid slab, while still allowing the deeper layers to be unstable. A deep, well-compacted snowpack can sit as a substantial slab that, if a weak layer beneath fails, can slide under a relatively small trigger. Put together, these conditions create a setup where a released load is plausible, making avalanche release more likely when a triggering event occurs.

The other scenarios involve wind loading or warming that tend to form fresh slabs or weaken bonds in different ways, which changes the stability dynamics and typically alters the likelihood or character of an avalanche.