Forecaster Comments: Alta has not opened for the season yet.

Went up to Alta today to take a look at Main Chute on Baldy. I've had good early season success skiing that there, so we skinned up to the top of Collins to scout it, and thinking it looked relatively filled in, decided to climb up to the top of Mt. Baldy for Main Chute via Sugarloaf Pass. At the top, there was obvious wind loading on the line, but the pillow of wind loaded snow looked relatively shallow, isolated and manageable. We did not see any other tracks around the area leading to the chute or apron, so I decided to drop in and do a ski cut. A soft storm/light wind slab pulled out at my feet ripping across the length of the chute 8 to 10 inches deep. It continued down the length of the line, propagating along the width of the chute on its way down. It started slowly, and looked like it would stop, so I was surprised to see it pick up steam on the way down. I knew there had been some wind loading, but I thought the ski cut would result in a more isolated pocket pulling out. The snowpack had a bit of an upside down feeling to it. We continued down the chute, and for the first few turns, the bed surface was consolated snow that was skiable. Then, halfway down, the bed surface became more sugary, unconsoladated snow and quite rocky. Perhaps we were overly optimistic about the amount and density of new snow in the Wasatch when we decided to drop into Main Chute this morning, but I felt able to manage the ski cut and the risk appropriately. It's always a good reminder to ensure that there is no one below you when you do a ski cut at a heavily trafficed area (we were certain that there was no one in the line when we dropped in, but Main Chute has a blind turn in the middle, so we couldn't see the apron and runout zone.) Also, a small avalanche has big consequences this time of year, with the capacity to cheese grater you over some sharky rocks, so take care. I suspect this wind slab/new storm snow will stabilize within 24 to 48 hours, but on the upper elevation north facing terrain, the old snow will continue to be a problem for awhile.