Strong wind from the past week has created hard slabs of wind-drifted snow in many areas. These slabs formed over our faceted snow surface causing them to stick around longer than normal. You can find these wind slabs well off ridgelines and on all aspects, but more commonly on north through east slopes. Be on the lookout for wind slabs today, and remember, hard wind slabs allow you to get well out onto a slope before fracturing, often even above you.

Triggering an avalanche that fails in the buried facets and depth hoar down near the ground is becoming increasingly less likely and this avalanche problem is close to dormancy.

For me, there is too much faceted snow in the snowpack to trust it. I do not like faceted snow. It's unpredictable and scary. I am going to remain patient and continue to avoid steep slopes facing the north side of the compass for the foreseeable future. If you choose to ride that terrain, set yourself up for success and consider the consequences (like trees). Travel one at a time and avoid steep, shallow, rocky terrain where it is more likely to trigger a deeper slab avalanche 2-4 feet deep.