Friday's 18 skier-triggered avalanches and 10 catch and carries were primarily running as soft-slabs of wind-drifted snow on the interface between Wednesday’s and Thursday’s storms. These were also areas out of the wind zone, like on Sunset Peak’s apron, that fell more in line with storm slabs. These all are instabilities within the new snow.

Jenna Malone's ob from yesterday phrased things quite well, "(Friday)'s storm slab avalanches acted (briefly) like PWL avalanches (remote triggers, widespread connectivity, propagation of slab well uphill from the trigger), even though they were failing on the storm interface, not a persistent grain type. I'm guessing this was from the combination of new snow with a variety of grain types (DF, graupel, stellars), wind transport, and the rapid spring warming/ solar input. (On Saturday), we found decreased sensitivity in the areas we travelled, consistent with rapidly settling storm slab."

While the sensitivity of this new snow is settling out, we cannot rule out these slides today, both at upper and mid elevations, near ridgelines and mid-slope catchment features such as gullies and convex rolls. There’s also a possibility that on more sheltered northerly terrain, you’ll be able ot trigger small, dry loose slides that could knock you off your feet in the new snow. Safer riding conditions can be found on terrain out of the wind zone, and in lower-angle terrain.

A very lucky skier who went for a ride in the steep, wind-drifted terrain of Wolverine Cirque on Friday. They were lucky to only lose a ski.

Yesterday was the first day since the new snow fell that temperatures were forecast to rise above freezing. While yesterday was plenty sunny, temperatures stayed a bit cooler that forecast, just near freezing in the 30s F during the heat of the day in many mountain locations.

Today, temperatures are forecast to rise into the 40s F, with clouds building in the afternoon. If this verifies, we are likely to see our first round of wet snow activity heading into the heat of the day, which means the danger could rise to CONSIDERABLE into the afternoon . Wet snow activity is most likely on steep slopes that face the sun, starting near rock bands or cliffs..however, observers noted snow starting to become wet on NW and NE aspects as well yesterday. If you start to see roller balls or pinwheels, it’s a sign to change aspects or head back to the car.

Roller balls like the one Scheuerlein observed yesterday are warning signs of wet snow avalanches.