As the new snow stacks up today, this will be the period when it is most sensitive. I'm unsure of just how sensitive these upper layers of new snow will be. Watch for cracking within the snow surface indicating sensitive conditions. Use small test slopes to get an idea of the sensitivity. Areas where the wind has drifted snow will be the most likely places to trigger a new snow avalanche.

I'm still very concerned about the weak sugary snow near the ground. The concern is a person triggering an avalanche that breaks deep into the Persistent Weak Layer from December. I have a lot of uncertainty about how likely that is. As we add more snow this week, a pattern should reveal itself. I could see things going two ways. First, the additional snow doesn't stress the old weak layers enough to cause problems. On the other hand, the weight of the new snow may be enough to wake up the dragon. Here's how I'm handling this situation. Since there are uncertainties, I continue to avoid the steep slopes until I see solid evidence of a more stable snowpack.