The primary focus of the day was getting my bearings and examining the weak snow across a variety of aspects and elevations. The main avalanche concern right now is a weak layer of faceted snow that formed during the December dry spell and was buried on 12/25. We know this layer exists about a foot below the surface on slopes facing W-N-E-SE, so that’s what we set out to investigate.

Above treeline, strong winds have made conditions unpredictable, stripping snow from many north and east-facing slopes that are typically loaded. Below treeline, the snow surface is shallow and weak, leaving little to no slab formation.

The most concerning terrain was near or at treeline, where we found the "sweet spot" of about a 1-foot slab sitting on top of the weak faceted snow.

During our travels, we also noted a few small natural wind slabs that had failed at higher elevations, likely during the period of elevated winds on the 15th.

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