Widespread significant drifting formed wind slabs at all elevations and in some rather unexpected places... Many of these formed on lighter density powder from yesterday, and most of the cracking we triggered was caused by a failure of thicker fresh slabby layer on top of lighter snow; a density change at the interface of yesterday's and today's snow....

The extensive drifting was overloading slopes with buried persistent weak layers. Of greatest concern in the Tony Grove Area are ares where a rime-crust formed on the snow surface on January 8 and preserved very weak and well developed faceted snow. The sugary crystals just beneath the crust in many areas .are fairly large ( around 3 mm) and soft (fist harness). The final ingredient to this dangerous combination is the rapidly developing slab layer.. Large avalanches breaking into old snow are becoming increasingly likely, and you could trigger one from a distance or below in these conditions. In some areas, this poor snow structure is likely to persist for some time, a lingering and serious threat, even as other weaknesses gradually regain stability...