8"-10" of heavy, wet snow fell on Wednesday with 1.5" to 1.75" of Snow Water Equivalent (SWE). This brings weekly totals up to 2' at 3.5" SWE and the mountains are plastered and white! In our travels yesterday, Dave Garcia and I found excellent turning and riding conditions, but the most recent snow had formed a cohesive slab that was not well bonded (see video for full details). This bond should be gaining strength and I suspect it will be less reactive today. We also observed a fair amount of wind drifted snow, primarily above treeline on northerly aspects, as well as a handful of "pockety" natural avalanches in these same areas. This is where the danger remains the greatest, and steep, wind drifted, northerly aspects should be avoided. Pay attention to how the recent snow is behaving. Look for signs of instability such as cracking in the snow surface and see if the new snow has slab-like properties before committing to steeper terrain.

The sun came out faster than expected yesterday and southerly aspects took a hit. Expect them to be crusted over today. Clouds this afternoon may prevent them from getting too moist today, but be alert to signs of loose, wet instability such as rollerballs, pinwheels, and sloppy wet snow.

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