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The avalanche danger remains at the upper end of MODERATE.
Continued wind has drifted a lot of snow over the last 5 days.
Steep slopes where the wind has deposited snow should be avoided.
The majority of the fresh drifts and slabs have formed on northeast, east and southeast facing terrain but watch for and avoid fresh drifts on all aspects.
Same deal, different day. You will want to avoid fresh drifts and slabs on steep slopes. The most likely places to trigger an avalanche are on northeast, east and southeast facing steep slopes just below ridgelines and along terrain features.
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The buried Persistent Weak Layers of faceted snow that formed in November and December are still a concern. The key is all the recent wind drifting. Areas that are holding old weak snow from Nov & Dec AND have a recently formed drift or slab on top are the most dangerous places right now. The old faceted snow is most present above 8000 feet on west, north and east facing terrain. To stay safe, simply avoid fresh drifts and slabs in these areas.
Current Conditions: The wind has been relentless. It hasn't gotten crazy strong but it's been steady in the moderate speed range with a few periods of stronger speeds. You need to hunt around to find places with good pockets of quality snow for nice turning. Temperatures warmed into the 20s on Tuesday and dropped back into the teens overnight. Wind is from the west and is still in the moderate speed category.
Mountain Weather: Wind is going to continue to be moderate to strong in speed from the northwest this morning and gradually slow this afternoon. Temperatures will be a bit cooler than Tuesday with highs in the upper teens. We should have mostly clear skies. Thursday looks mostly clear then a messy storm system forming to our west might bring some chances for snow for the weekend.
This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
