Covering about 8miles on snow machine today my general observation is that any terrain that is not protected from the wind is absolutely loaded with 3-5' wind drifts that easily collapse under the weight of a human body and especially snow machine. People operating snow machines, please note that the guardsman's pass road from pass to pine canyon/ empire Y is now fully connected above and below the road. It may now be possible to trigger a slide above. The hasty pits and boot pen tests I conducted have indicated strong over weak snow waiting for a trigger. Note I've seen this structure on all aspects at upper elevation.. I suspect the additional loading in then next 24-48 hours will heighten concern for this area.

I have worked in the Wasatch since 2005 and never until today have I jumped from my snow machine and the snow gone over my head. The 60-80cm base of faceted snow on northerly slopes is now loaded with 60-80cm of new snow. What is unique is that the snow is acting like a cave under a slab. It swallowed me in...this is an incredibly unnerving experience. Tree wells and low points like shallow creeks are incredibly spooky. With any more snow this would be hard to self extract from. I'll be watching my homies this weekend. The January 2024 PWL is something for my memory bank.