Today could be an interesting day. This fast-moving storm will bring around 3 to 6 inches of snow throughout the day and another round of strong westerly winds. Expect to find a fresh layer of denser snow to start building on leeward, easterly facing slopes as the storm progresses. By themselves, these new wind-slabs should be relatively soft but could be a little touchy and easy to trigger as they form. Steep near and above-treeline slopes are the most likely places to run into this problem. Almost all of the recent avalanche activity has been on steep, wind-loaded slopes below a ridge or cornice. Today will be no different. These suspect slopes are the main hazard you will need to manage or avoid if traveling at higher elevations.

Even more concerning is that on these same slopes, you can trigger a more massive avalanche that breaks deeper in the snowpack or at the ground. There is a mixed bag of weak snow layers buried in the upper portions of the snowpack and a haunting layer of facets and depth hoar from October near the ground. Triggering a larger avalanche has proven difficult lately, and often needs a rider to find the "sweet spot" around a shallowly buried rock or thin spot in the slab. Trying to figure out where this might occur when looking at a slope can be challenging to say the least. Often we can't see what's below the snow surface or where the snowpack is thinner. For this reason, we suggest simply avoiding suspect or riskier slopes and find better riding options in wind-sheltered, lower-angle terrain. Let this storm pass and give the snowpack a few days to adjust before tempting bigger slopes.