We've found buried layers of sugary snow at all elevations and on slopes facing every direction. The persistent weak layer (PWL) problem has the potential to get worse as widespread slopes with poor snow structure are overloaded, and the problem is likely to be an issue for a while.

Areas plagued by a very sensitive PWL consisting of buried feathers of surface hoar are also widespread, but we've found them mostly in sheltered low and mid-elevation terrain. Persistent weak layers consisting of surface hoar are notoriously tricky, often surprising and sometimes catching experienced avy pros off guard. Avalanches failing on buried surface hoar may occur on lower angled slopes than you might expect.

• Red Flags indicating a persistent weak layer instability will include audible collapses or wumpfs and shooting cracks. Sometimes no red flags are apparent and you have to dig down into the snow to find the sugary weak layer.
• Slab avalanches failing on a buried persistent weak layer could be remotely triggered from a distance, hopefully not from below.

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Over the last 24 hours, the west and southwesterly winds began to pick up. With new snow available for transport, even a small bump in winds will begin drifting snow. Sustained high winds can deposit snow around terrain features on almost any aspect, called cross-loading. For this reason, I would expect to find slabs of wind-drifted snow forming at all upper-elevation slopes, especially along terrain features such as ridgelines, sub-ridges, and gullies that allow for snow to catch and accumulate. These wind drifts will be particularly touchy on aspects facing northwest through north through east due to the direction of the wind, and where the wind drifted snow will be sitting on top of the weak faceted snow. Any avalanche triggered within the wind drifted snow can step down into deeper weaker layers creating a much larger avalanche.