The recent 4-8″ of new snow beginning 11/30 was accompanied by moderate winds in channeled terrain.  Wind direction began as northeast and eventually moved to east and finally southeast as the storm progressed.  Expect to find fresh windslabs on a variety of aspects. Triggering a wind slab 1-1.5 feet deep will be possible today, and may step down to deeper layers in the snowpack (discussed in problem 2) and would create larger, more dangerous avalanches.  Watch for signs of wind slab including: hard snow over soft, shooting cracks, pillowed snow surfaces and areas where the new snow depth varies significantly in a small area.  It is possible for the hazard to increase through the day if winds become stronger and more widespread than forecasted.

The cold and dry weather in November caused a lot of faceting to occur in the snow, creating a weak snowpack.  At this point it is unclear as to how much stress our snowpack will be able to withstand before failing.  In protected areas, it is unlikely that the 4-8″ of new snow will be enough to tip the scales naturally.  Although, where wind has loaded the new snow into deeper slabs it is possible that avalanches either natural or human triggered could step down to these weak layers creating larger more dangerous avalanches.  While early season conditions exist, snowpack structure will vary from place to place.  Don’t expect to find the same snow stability across the forecast area. Re-assess the snowpack every time you are traveling to a new location.