Expect to find stiff wind slabs and treacherous cornices in upper elevation terrain exposed to drifting from the recent south and southeast winds. Avoid stiff wind deposited snow on steep slopes, and watch for potential wind slabs in and around terrain features like sub-ridges, gullies, and cliff bands. Wind slabs are drifts that can appear chalky, rounded or bulging, and can sound hollow or drum-like. Be cautious along the ridges, since cornices might break further back than expected, and cornice falls could trigger wind slab avalanches on slopes below. Hard wind slabs could break further up slope than expected and have a nasty habit of allowing you to get out on then before releasing.

Persistent slab avalanches might fail 1 to 2 feet deep on weak faceted snow created during high pressure conditions in January. I triggered a couple heart stopping whumpfs or audible collapses on Sunday at around 8400' in elevation on the west facing Franklin Basin side of Beaver Mountain. My tests were convincing and consistent, showing propagating failures of a developing slab on very weak sugary faceted grains. Steep, recently drifted, rocky, outlying upper and mid elevation slopes with generally shallow and weak snow cover and recent wind loads are the most suspect. Although the chances are slim, you might trigger dangerous persistent slab avalanches in some areas remotely, from a distance or worse, from below. As weight from new snow gradually builds up in the next several days, the currently dormant faceted snow may reawaken, and the danger of persistent slab avalanches will rise. Whumpfing and deep cracking are red flags indicating potential persistent slab instability.