Weak faceted snow that formed in January is buried about 2 feet deep in the snowpack. It has been gaining strength during the recent warm weather. However, there is still a remote chance that a person could trigger an avalanche that breaks into it. The most likely places are on steep, northerly-facing, high-elevation slopes. This is exactly where we want to ride because it is where the best snow conditions are found.

Now, the number of avalanche paths that people are going to encounter is not as many as usual at this time of the season. Usually we have a deep snowpack and we can travel virtually anywhere at this time of the season. This year, southerly facing slopes are melting out to the dirt. There is also very little snow in the lower canyons. Both these factors limit travel options and we just can't get into all that much steep avalanche terrain. However, if you do get into steep upper elevation terrain, keep in mind that you could still trigger an avalanche. It's a "low probability/high consequence" situation.