Maverick

New snow settling slowly into a slab; skied upside-down and probably needs ~12 hours and some wind to start reacting more. The newest snowfall (48-72 hrs) is falling on a variety of crusts and surfaces that will slide easily.  There's plenty of new snow for loose snow to be a hazard and carry someone into the wrong terrain, and also poses the additional hazard of triggering a larger avalanche.  Total HS ~9,600' around 2 meters (6.5 feet), with Jan. 4 over a meter deep. Due to new snow hazard alone, we stuck to low-angle wind-protected terrain. Instability will trend higher into tomorrow, even at the same hazard rating.