Crazy how nothing's changed with our persistent weak layer, but that's why anything "persistent" in our snowpack takes a long time to heal and sometimes remains active 'til it flows out of our taps in the summer.

So here's the deal- the snowpack is complex, we have a persistent weak layer in the mid portion of the pack, and this fragile structure experienced a rapid change when last Tuesday's storm slammed down on it. And while there were a few natural avalanches, many slopes hang in the balance waiting for a trigger like us to roll along and knock the legs out from underneath. We don't need to be on the slope... just connected to it.

But you don't have to ride blind... so, tweak small test slopes, looking for and listening to signs of unstable snow like whoomping sounds and sudden collapses of the snowpack or shooting cracks in front of your skis, board, or sled. And of course the biggest clue of all... recent avalanches, especially on the same types of slopes you wanna ride on.

There's not an abundance of snow available to blow around, but as we know, the Uinta's are a big place and I bet you can find a stiff drift that'll react to our additional weight. The ticket for today is steering clear of steep wind drifted slopes and terrain features like chutes and gullies, especially if they appear fat and rounded or sound hollow like a drum. And remember... our snowpack is super shallow and triggering even a small slide can take you for a body-bruising ride through rocks and stumps barely hidden under the thin snowpack.