As always, if there’s snow in the mountains, we need to be thinking about avalanches.

Yesterday, Dave Kelly was on a north-facing slope near 10,000' in Upper Little Cottonwood Canyon and found 18–24" of snow outside of wind-drifted areas. About 8" above the ground, he found small, decomposing (likely faceted) crystals sitting on a melt-freeze crust. (See photo below). He got failures on this layer in an extended column test and a couple of shovel shears. Below the crust were moist crystals and more crusts. This closely matches what Trent found earlier in the week.

Slopes without old October snow have likely stabilized with the cooler temperatures. The primary concern is on northwest-, north-, and northeast-facing slopes above 9,500', where new snow sits on old, weak faceted snow, the same interface both Dave and Trent found. With cold nights, low November sun, and a shallow snowpack, we can expect these high north-facing slopes to continue faceting. Before committing to avalanche terrain, dig down in a safe spot and see what layering exists.

The bottom line: It’s early season, and there’s no reason to push into steep avalanche terrain yet. Stick to lower-angle slopes, avoid traveling beneath steep terrain, and remember that even a small avalanche can have serious consequences in a shallow snowpack. There’s a long winter ahead!