Yesterday's winds found their way into the mid-elevations with observers noting shooting cracks on steep rollovers. With continued moderate west to northwest winds at the mid-elevations and strong gusts up high, wind slabs will continue to be cause for concern. They'll be more prominent on steep north to east to south facing slopes up high and crossloaded into gullies and to the lee of other terrain features. Cracking like below are signs to choose alternate terrain. Noted the scalloping and rounded nature of the wind drifts in the pic. (pc:Stefankowski)

2. Enough snow and wind have tipped the balance in some areas to produce avalanches down near the ground 3-6' deep. These will be much more prominent in terrain that has avalanched previously this winter and may require more of a significant trigger to snap the rubber band. The large slides along the Park City ridgeline on Tuesday, and the Little Water Peak slide on Monday (observation) highlight this problem. These slides were triggered from cornice falls and were on steep, wind-loaded slopes facing northeast. Tuesday's natural from South Monitor highlights how large these avalanches can be. (pc: Mark White). In contrast to the more shallowly buried weak layers, cracking and collapsing are unlikely to be present and snow tests may be highly variable. These are lower-probability high consequence.

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Lower density cold smoke will sluff with provocation and perhaps naturally on the steepest terrain of all aspects. While more predictable in nature, loose snow avalanches can pack quite the punch and entrain lots of snow in steep, sustained and enclosed terrain (couloirs and gullies). Ski cuts are effective but it's key to continue from area of safety to area of safety, moving across the slope. Snowshoers should not attempt this technique.