Winds on Pre-Laurel Peak: SE 5-15 G 20 Temp 27° F Percent of Normal: 106%

The nearly stationary closed low that remains parked over Arizona will continue to churn moisture into our area today. We should see snow showers off and on with another 6" possible by tonight. Winds from the SE will blow in the 10-15 mph range with 20 mph gusts along ridgetops. High temps at 10,000' will be in the upper 20's. Snow showers linger through tonight with some partial clearing on Sunday.

With well over a foot of snow stacking up since Thursday, turning and riding conditions are excellent, especially in sheltered areas. Strong, gusty winds from SE through NE yesterday, and the night before formed drifts up to 18" deep on all aspects, and in our travels yesterday we oberved that the most recent snow came in dense and inverted, and it was starting to form a slab. We did not find these drifts or slabs to be particularly sensitive, but we also didn't venture above treeline where the wind was really getting after it. I'd avoid steep, wind drifted slopes today and be on the lookout for a slabby conditions on all aspects and elevations. Blocks betweeen your skis indicate the presence of a slab, and cracking is a sign of instability.

Additionally, we have been tracking a weak layer of faceted snow in the upper pack. This layer is currently buried about a 18"-24" below the surface. We have been finding this very weak snow on some northerly facing slopes near treeline and below. The distribution of this layer is spotty at best, but it seems to be popping up in isolated areas of steep, sparsely treed terrain and it has produced a skier triggered avalanche. For more details on this weak layer see Dave's observations #1, #2. Dial back your terrain choices for now and let's see how the recent snow affects this layer.