An accumulated 6-10 inches of snow and strong westerly winds over the past few days have created unstable slabs of wind drifted snow above treeline on slopes facing NW through SE. Look for recent deposits of wind drifted snow on the leeward sides of ridge crests and terrain features in upper elevation, wind affected terrain. Slabs will be poorly bonded to either slick hard surfaces, or the weak, faceted, old snow surface and human triggered avalanches up to a foot deep are likely. Recent drifts are often recognizable by their smooth, rounded appearance, and cracking is a sign of instability. A triggered wind slab has the potential to step down into weaker faceted layers causing a deeper and more dangerous avalanche.

Incremental loading over the past few days has been adding stress to our weak, faceted snowpack increasing the odds for human triggered avalanches. Above treeline, areas of wind drifted snow have added additional stress to persistent weak layers, and human triggered avalanches are likely on slopes facing NW through E. Near treeline and below, the underlying snowpack is very weak on all slopes facing W through E, but we may not yet have a developed slab on top. Human triggered avalanches are possible in these areas, particularly on slopes where wind thickened slabs exist. Choose terrain wisely. Dig down in the snow and see if you can detect a denser slab on top of weaker snow. Cracking and collapsing are signs of instability. It's time to put the persistent weak layer problem back on our radar.