The National Weather Service Forecasts-

TODAY...MOSTLY CLEAR. HIGHS AROUND 27. LIGHT WINDS BECOMING EAST 10 TO 20 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. STRONGEST WINDS IN EXPOSED AREAS.

TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS AROUND 16...EXCEPT AROUND 9 ABOVE IN WIND SHELTERED AREAS. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.

SATURDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS AROUND 29. NORTHEAST WIND 15 TO 25 MPH.

Conditions remain cold and clear after 3 weeks with no new snow. We had a great deal of rain to summit levels followed by lots of warm weather. The snowpack has now resolidified and is quite stable in place.

Avalanche danger will remain low until there is a significant change in the weather.

\"Loud noises trigger avalanches\"

Many moviemakers use loud noises, like shouts, in their films as avalanche triggers; however, loud noises do not usually prompt avalanches. Simply put, a loud noise does not have enough force to generate an avalanche. A noise that could qualify as powerful enough to trigger an avalanche includes an explosive going off at close range, however.

\"An avalanche is a only a bunch of loose snow sliding down a mountainside\"

Loose snow sliding down a mountainside is called a \"sluff.\" In general, only a small percentage of deaths and injuries caused by avalanches are caused by this type. The most dangerous and predominant type of avalanche is know as a \"slab\" avalanche. Slab avalanches break and slide as a unit down the mountain side, making them much more dangerous for someone caught in the middle of it all.

\"Avalanches strike without warning\"
First of all, avalanches do not \"strike.\" As the Colorado Avalanche Information Center states, \"[Avalanches] happen at particular times and in particular places for particular reasons\" (avalanche.org, 2003). Second of all, there are many varying factors that can cause natural avalanches, including the weight of windblown snow and rapid warming and melting of layers of snow. Although, as previously stated, in \"90% of all avalanche accidents the avalanche is triggered by the victim or someone in the victim's party\" (avalanche.org), there are normally obvious signs of avalanche terrain instability.