The buried Persistent Weak Layer of sugary facets that formed in Jan/Feb is still active and very much a concern. Dangerous conditions exist on upper elevation northwest, north, northeast and east facing terrain. Here are the red flags that I've seen recently:
- Recent avalanches - my group triggered two on Monday
- Collapsing - we experienced numerous collapses (whoomping) of the snowpack on Thursday. This information alone tells me the weak layer is still sensitive and dangerous.
- Wind drifted snow - there has been enough wind to drift and deposit snow. This enhances slab formation. It makes conditions more dangerous especially in conjunction with a buried weak layer like we have.
- Poor snowpack structure - it is easy to dig down and find the weak layer of sugary snow around 2 feet deep. Snow stability test results remain poor on this layer.
The tricky thing is that unless you are really paying attention out there, you may not see any obvious signs of danger. You most likely won't see any natural avalanches from this storm. If you are on a machine, you may not notice any collapsing underneath you. You need to dig to see the layer of weak snow. All you may see is miles of untracked powder calling your name. Be aware that many steep slopes are just waiting for you to get on them and trigger an avalanche.
