Westerly winds have been cranking for days. In some places, they have scoured the surface, but in others they are drifting the new dense snow and building both fresh soft and hard slabs. Watch for slopes that are actively loading or have that rounded, pillow look. Cracking under your feet, a hollow feel, or stiff, chalky snow are all signs of new wind drifts to avoid.

• Even small avalanches can have serious consequences in shallow snow conditions, where a slide could drag you through rocks or downed trees below.
• Stick to safe travel practices: travel with a partner, and cross or ride steep slopes one at a time while the rest of your group watches from a safe spot.

In many places, the new snowfall and fresh wind slabs are building on a stout, supportable rain crust. This means that, though shallow, these wind drifts could be sensitive and run fast and far.

In the Central and Northern Bear River Range, weak, faceted snow from November is buried beneath last week’s thick surface crust and a layer of weakening heavy snow from early December. On steep, drifted slopes, especially where the rain crust is thin or absent, human-triggered avalanches are possible and could propagate widely.

Collapsing, indicated by shooting cracks or whumpfs, is a clear warning of unstable snow. Remotely triggered avalanches failing on a persistent weak layer are also possible.

While the weak layer is generally capped right now, additional loading from heavy snowfall and strong winds will begin to stress the faceted snowpack and increase instability. As the load grows through the next few storm systems, avalanche danger will rise.

Snowpit profile from the Emigration Summit Area - North Aspect - 8300'. You can see the stout crust near the surface, capping the weaker snow near the ground.