Winds haven't been too out of hand but they have blown enough to drift some snow. Expect to find recently formed wind drifts 12"-18" deep on the lee sides of ridge crests and terrain features in upper elevation, wind exposed terrain, primarily on slopes facing NW-N-SE. Cracking in the snow surface is sign of instability, and wind loaded slopes typically have a smooth, rounded appearance. Avoid steep slopes with recent deposits of wind drifted snow.

Last week's storm produced a widespread avalanche cycle with slides breaking anywhere from 4'-12' deep on a persistent weak layer that has plagued us for much of the season. While we've experienced many active periods of natural activity since the new year began, this was the event that finally brought the house down. In total, 32" of snow with 3.6" of water weight was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. This was quite a thumping, and now, the big question is how long does it take for things to stabilize? Time and warm temperatures have certainly aided in the process. At this point, triggering a deep and dangerous avalanche has become less likely. The problem is that signs of instability will not be presenting themselves and you may be able to put one, two, or several riders on a slope before someone finds the right trigger point. And if one is found, the avalanche will be un-survivable.