Generally speaking, our entire snowpack on slopes facing W-N-E has faceted through to the ground and we've begun to incrementally load this poor snowpack structure. The weakest snow exists in the top several inches nearest the old snow surface, and this is where avalanches are most likely to fail first. The mid-pack, although also faceted, retains some strength in many areas, while the base of the snowpack is completely rotten.

The recent load has not been enough to trigger a major avalanche cycle, or even to create widespread instability, but it is the beginning of a precarious and unpredictable situation. One thing is for certain, the danger increases with elevation, particularly on northerly aspects, where wind drifting has added more stress to this fragile structure. In these areas, human triggered avalanches have the potential to step down causing deeper, and more dangerous avalanches. This type of terrain will need to be avoided for the foreseeable future. Near treeline and below, the outcome is less certain, but I've already adjusted my mindset to dealing with a persistent weak layer problem, and I'll be avoiding slopes steeper than 30 degrees on all aspects where it exists.,

Strong westerly winds continue to build unstable slabs of wind drifted snow on slopes facing NW-N-SE. Wind slabs are recognizable by their smooth, rounded appearance and cracking is a sign of instabilty. The biggest conern however, is the added stress these slabs are applying to buried persistent weak layers. For this reason alone, these areas should be avoided.