Strong winds in the past few days formed drifts in starting zones near ridgelines and around terrain features such as gullies, rocks, rollovers, and sub-ridges.

• Hard wind slabs may allow you to get well out onto them before suddenly releasing.
• Wind slabs are often recognizable as rounded pillows of snow that can feel hollow or drum-like underfoot.
• Collapsing or shooting cracks are clear signs of instability—but their absence does not mean the slope is safe.
• Avalanches of wind-drifted snow could step down into the buried January persistent weak layer, producing larger and more dangerous avalanches, several feet deep.

Avoid being on or under steep slopes with saturated snow. Wet avalanches will become more likely in the heat of the day.

• If you notice rollerballs or pinwheels and/or you are sinking deeply into mushy, wet snow, move to a cooler aspect or elevation, or lower-angle terrain.

A persistent weak layer of faceted snow from January is now buried about 2–4 ft deep on mid- and upper-elevation slopes facing the north half of the compass. While avalanches breaking into this layer are unlikely, any that do occur will be large, destructive, and dangerous.

• Avalanches failing on buried facets can propagate widely and may be triggered remotely—from the side or below.
• Slopes with a shallower overall snowpack are most suspect. Avoid outlying rocky or wind-swept slopes at upper elevations, with generally shallow snow.
• Red flags are often absent when these avalanches occur.

We found good stability in areas where the strengthening sugary, persistent weak layer from January is buried deeply by recent snow. video below