wind slabs and buried weak layers

On Buck Ridge today (3/5/23) we found fresh, unstable drifts and buried weak layers. Recent avalanche activity is a sign that buried weak layers could be triggered and cause large avalanches, even though we didn't see unstable results in our snowpack tests.

Be cautious of steep slopes, especially if they are wind-loaded and avoid steep slopes if you suspect buried weak layers exist. Recent snow being drifted into thicker slabs is adding weight to weak layers and may cause danger to rise.