Even with rain returning to normal elevations, even a pineapple probably won't influence areas above 6-7000 or so, and not at all beyond the west slope.
Very good catch! You're absolutely right.
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Here are some things to consider about any persistent weaknesses that may develop:
A. Amount of precipitation going forward, which determines total snow depths.
B. Air temperatures going forward, which controls the temperature gradient.
C. Skier triggering of weaknesses below 1-metre is rare.
Facts and Outright Speculation:
* You might find persistent instability at any location where the snowpack remains shallow for an extended period of time.
* In places with deep snowpack and moderate temps, rounding will be predominant. This would tend to strengthen the snowpack through a combination of overburden pressure and favourable crystal metamorphism.
If faced with persistent weaknesses:
* Worst case scenario? A sequence of weather events that creates chaotic patterns of instability and triggering energy. This creates a very inconsistently unstable snowpack, which in turn leads to very high uncertainty and serious perception problems.
* In general, as information is gathered, there would be some degree of predictability about where these problems exist. But as always, singular information about the situation at-hand will override general information. Are there persistent forms on *this* ski run?
* The current situation reminds me of winter 2008-2009 when there were a lot of big avalanches at Whistler in the early season. Those layers eventually healed, but it was a scary situation.
The takeaway:
* An early season cold snap might leave mines in the backcountry, but only time will tell.
* On the other hand, lots of snow and moderate temps can heal just about anything.
Here's a thread on TGR that discussed snowpack resets, etc.
www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181142
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