5-10 cms of low density snow is sitting on a variety of hard surfaces in the alpine from crust on solar aspects to hard windslabs. Also, some pockets of very soft windslabs have developed due to more recent wind transported snow. It has been reported that these windslabs are reactive to skier traffic and that the loose snow is sluffing out of steep N facing terrain. At lower elevations, the thin layer of light dry new snow has buried the late January surface hoar at and below treeline. Deeply buried weak layers continue to exist in the alpine and at treeline in shallow rocky areas, but have been unreactive lately. At the surface of the snowpack, a new surface hoar layer is growing and
surface facetting is happening which should continue with the forecasted clear and cold temperatures.