The winds are a bit of a spoiler today – wind speeds are strong enough to drift the low-density snow and are expected to continue at the current speeds. The new wind drifts or wind slabs will cracky and easy to trigger, forming along the mid and higher elevation ridge lines. Avoid any steep slopes with wind drifts, and be aware that the drifts will become more widespread and deeper as the day progresses.

Cornices will also be forming along the mid and upper elevation ridge lines. They often break back further than expected, so give them a wide berth and avoid travel below them

Loose dry snow sluffs are possible today in steep terrain. Be mindful as getting caught in this type of avalanche can still be dangerous as you can get knocked off your feet quickly.

With several storms this past week, there is even more uncertainty with the lingering weaknesses both at the mid-pack (especially on the eastern edge of the Ogden mountains) and again with the more deeply buried early season weak layers. Tests and lack of deeper avalanches hint at good stability and yet a general poor structure of snow with faceted grains drives a conservative approach to avoid thinner snowpack areas or more consequential terrain, at least above 8000'. Cracking and collapsing are bulls-eye clues to instability, but these clues may not be present. The tipping point is unknown but this type of avalanche could easily be triggered by a smaller avalanche such as today's new wind slabs, that steps down.