Observation: Little Water

On one slope where I got long, visible crack in the snow surface, I dug down and it was apparent how the crack extended all the way from the surface to the layer of faceted snow down 60 cms.

Persistent west/southwest winds are eroding windward aspects and drifting snow onto leeward aspects where the PWL is present.

As we continue to overload the northwest through east aspects with more snow and wind-drifted snow we are just adding more stress to the buried PWL. Conditions are not as reactive as they were 7-10 days ago but it is tricky as we are getting fewer signs of instability (ie fewer remotely-triggered avalanches, fewer collapses and cracking) but conditions are growing more dangerous. Extended column tests the past few days are now getting scores into the 20's, whereas 3-5 days ago they were in the single digits or teens. But almost all extended column tests are getting full propagation on the weak facets. This indicates to me that as the slab on top grows stronger it is getting harder to trigger an avalanche, but if you do trigger one, it will be very deep (several feet) and propagate very wide (perhaps hundreds of feet). With this poor snowpack structure you simply have to stay off of slopes approaching 30 degrees or steeper on slopes where the PWL is present.

Fresh wind drifts were unreactive to ski cuts, but biggest concern is the west/southwest winds continue to load the leeward east/northeast aspects where the persistent weak layer is present.