The odds of triggering an avalanche on faceted layers buried 3-5 feet deep in the snowpack are very small. In many places in the central Wasatch mountains, I wouldn't worry about this problem too much especially in the upper Cottonwoods or places with a very deep snowpack. Last weekend in upper Cardiff, I found snow over 9 feet deep. Yesterday at a low elevations (7,900 ft) in Snake Creek, I found over 5 feet of strong stable snow. There was evidence of some weak, faceted layers, but they have gained a lot of strength and were of no concern to me.

This problem is a greater issue in the Provo area mountains (check out this recent avalanche). It is certainly an issue in the Uintas and the Skyline. In the central Wasatch, I think you'd have to get very unlucky to find a slope where this remains an issue. There were several deep avalanches that occurred about a week ago. See a summary in the last "Week in Review".

Looking ahead - warm sunny days and clear cold nights are a good recipe for creating facets near the snow surface which may become a new persistent weak layer. We'll be watching the snow surface this week and watching what this weekend's snow falls on. If the powder this week seems to "dry out" or get better, that's a good sign that the faceting process is occurring. Stay tuned.

With more strong sunshine, some loose wet snow avalanches are possible. The surface snow on many slopes has been through several melt-freeze cycles which should limit wet avalanche activity. However, it's worth being mindful of this wet snow avalanche potential if you're traveling on south or west aspects.