Avalanche danger is generally low, but don't get lulled into a false sense of security. If you travel into above treeline elevations you might still encounter small, isolated pockets of wind slabs that could surprise you. If you are in high-consequence terrain or there are terrain traps accompanying the slope you're interested in, make sure you've thoroughly assessed conditions nearby before committing to that terrain.
Small, isolated wind slabs may still exist at upper elevations. Be especially cautious near ridges, on open steep slopes, and convex rollers in the alpine that could serve as likely trigger points. When in doubt steer around steep, wind-loaded slopes, especially if there is an accompanying terrain trap on the slope.
I traveled to Skyline Ridge on Sunday and found low density, non-wind affected snow on sheltered north-facing slopes, crusts near the surface on most other aspects, and a variety of wind-affected surfaces near ridgelines and in other unsheltered areas. Surface hoar was present on the snow surface everywhere I traveled. This likely formed after the moderate to strong easterly winds ripped through the area Saturday evening. Wind had formed thin hard and soft slabs along the ridge and on other sparsely treed slopes, although I couldn't find any reactive slabs. Forecaster Josh Hirschberg was out a little further east of me and found less wind-affected terrain and no instabilities where he traveled.
I dug a pit confirming what Matt Primomo saw two days earlier in a nearby location: weak grains just above the MLK crust, which were about a foot down in both our pits. We didn't get any significant test results on that layer. Meanwhile, due to the frigid temperatures and clear skies, near surface facets, a form of weak snow, is developing in the uppermost portion of our snowpack. It's not a problem right now but it's something we'll be keeping on our mind when the next snowfall is on the horizon.
