The biggest clue to avalanches is of course, avalanches! Problem is... you don't look around the range and see avalanches everywhere. In fact, so much of our recent natural avalanche activity was nearly erased with avalanche paths quickly refilling as last weekends storm raged. So now comes the tricky part... it takes a sharp eye to put together the pattern, size, and scope of our recent avalanche cycle and to get a handle on the characteristics and personality of our current avalanche dragon.

Remember- the persistent layer of weak, sugary snow formed during the mid December dry spell hasn't gone away. In fact, it's now buried several feet deep and a very strong piece of snow, a slab, rests on top. And while the snowpack isn't nearly as active as just a few days ago when it reached its boiling point, we have to remember, it's still simmering. Sure, all the right ingredients have to blend together to trigger a slide today, but just like Emeril in the kitchen, when it all comes together... Bam!... your goose is cooked and you'll be staring down the barrel of a very dangerous avalanche. (disclaimer... no geese were injured or cooked in the making of this metaphor :)

Southeast winds ramped up Monday, but drifting was limited as there wasn't much snow for the winds to work with. But when we look at last weeks wind, man did it blow... and from all directions, penetrating into terrain we usually consider sheltered. A bit worn out and not nearly as sensitive as recent days, none-the-less, old wind drifts rest on a persistent weak layer and will react to our additional weight.

A good example is this wind slab, intentionally triggered by a couple of skiers this weekend near Wolf Creek Pass (photo - Park and Shirey).