Conditions remain similar to yesterday, in many areas 6-12 inches of uncohesive (no slab)  snow sits atop a layer of unreactive wind damaged snow.  Human triggered avalanches up to 1 foot+ deep will be possible on lee aspects that have been loaded with this new snow by recent winds, creating cohesive snow (slab).  Wind slabs could exist on a variety of aspects due to changing wind directions.  

Good stability was observed on 12/29 above brush line where 6 inches of uncohesive snow existed above a hard base.  Stability assessment should be fairly straightforward today.  Watch for where and if recent wind has redistributed new snow.  Hard snow over soft at the surface, shooting cracks, and collapsing are all indicators of a wind loaded slope with the potential to produce an avalanche. Terrain to be cautious of includes: lee side of high elevation ridge lines, cross loaded gullies and steep convex terrain. 

The hazard will be lower in areas where surface snow is unaffected by wind.

Faceted snow near the base of the snowpack has been identified in all three forecast zones. In most locations above brush line, faceted snow is capped by pencil-knife hard wind affected snow.  This has created a strong bridging affect above 3000′,  making a person or machines weight unlikely to directly affect these layers.  Below brush line where a more protected snowpack is in place, significant facets exist in the bottom half of the snowpack.

It has been 2 weeks since the last significant snowfall event, and stability tests that directly target these layers have not been producing significant results above brush line.  Below brush line propagation in stability tests was observed as recently as 12/29 in the Continental zone.

Persistent weak layers are tricky to assess and are notorious for surprising people.  As long as temperatures remain cold and our snowpack is thin, these weak layers will continue to lose strength.  It is likely that facets will reactivate in the future when stress is being applied through dramatic changes in weather such as: significant snow accumulation or rapid warming.  Maintaining safe travel protocols such as skiing one at a time and avoiding traveling in or above terrain traps will increase your safety margin.  

 The most likely areas to trigger a persistent slab avalanche would be in steep terrain that was protected from previous strong winds that have occurred this season. This could be below brushline in steep open places, or in areas of terrain that are typically spared from outflows.  The Continental zone remains suspect as this area has a weaker snowpack and generally receives less wind, which would decrease the bridging affect mentioned above.