Unfortunately, our shallow snowpack has taken a hard hit the past few weeks, with many upper elevation slopes facing the north half of the compass deteriorating into a weak, sugary mess... and that's bad news once it does start snowing. Problem is... we're naturally drawn to this exact type of terrain because those slopes have the best coverage and we won't be slamming into rocks. However, we've gotta be a ninja and think like the snowpack if we plan to ride safely. So the key to avalanche avoidance is to simply steer clear of steep, upper elevation, shady slopes facing the north half of the compass because the snow structure is a house of cards. Instead of rolling the dice, head to slopes that had no snow prior to the storm.
Ted was in Whitney Basin on Thursday and found cohesive snow resting on weak factes... clearly illustrated in the image above. Click here for Ted's great video recap.
The snow stability picture is gonna be a bit complicated the next couple of days, especially on upper elevation terrain and particularly once fresh snow stacks up and turns all slopes white.
Here's your exit starategy.... the key to safe travel is choosing terrain that had no old snow prior to todays expected storm.