The main problem are the wind slabs. Fresh, light, new snow followed by warm and wind is never a good combination. There was no lack of wind slabs up in the wind zones. The big east face of Reynolds Peak had not avalanched--yet. But the looks of it made me itch for an explosive. Visibility was poor so cornice cutting was out of the question (couldn't tell if anyone was below.) Through the day, wind was affecting lower elevation terrain. As usual, avoid deposits of wind drifted snow on steep terrain.

Storm snow is inverted and becoming increasingly slabby. Low elevations, especially, seem the worst. Lots of shallow slabs along the BCC road banks.

Also, I did a few quick had pits on the northeast facing slopes on the way up and found inconsistent faceted snow under the new snow. Some columns failed on isolation while others were more solid. These are usually triggered from shallower snowpack areas. With all the new snow, especially wind-deposited snow, you have to always be suspicious of deeper avalanches to the early January faceted layer.