There's two main avalanche issues today... a persistent weak layer of snow buried in our snowpack and fresh pockets of wind drifted snow that are developing as I type this forecast. I'll start off with the avalanche dragon that's most unpredictable and could instantly ruin my day... which is, the persistent weak layer now buried under yesterday's storm. So here's the setup-

Monday nights storm helped give us a few more options to move around on the snow, but in all reality, upper elevation terrain facing the north half of the compass is really the only game in town. The bad news with this terrain option is, these slopes are also the most dangerous because they harbor weak, shallow, old snow left over from early season storms. That fact is... we've got a fragile snowpack with potentially dangerous layering and today's storm is clearly the game changer.

Strong winds and dense, heavy, storm snow will form a cohesive piece of snow (slab) on top of a suspect snow structure. The problem with this combo is, it'll feel strong underneath our skis, board, or sled. However, we've gotta think not only about the snow we're traveling in, but also the snow we're traveling on and right now, we've got some junk in the trunk. Once triggered, even a small avalanche may break a bit deeper and wider than you might expect, failing on the mid portion of the pack, revealing obstacles hidden under the thin facade of our early season snowpack. Remember- any slide could easily result in a season ending injury if you get raked over stumps, rocks, or deadfall. So the best way to avoid unpredictable avalanche conditions is to avoid where it exists. We can still have a great day by playing in big open meadows and simply staying off of and out from under steep terrain facing the north half fo the compass.... easy :)

Winds were all over the map prior to, during, and after Monday's quick hitting system, whipping the light density snow into wind drifts that'll be sensitive to our additional weight. And now there's even more wind! While today's drifts are found on the leeward side of upper elevation ridges and because of variable wind directions, they've also formed on nearly every quadrant of the compass and may have cross-loaded into chutes and gullies. You're best bet for avoidance is to simply steer clear of any fat, rounded piece of snow, especially if it looks chalky or sounds hollow like a drum. In addition, look for and listen to clues like whoomphing sounds or shooting cracks in the snow which are sure signs of unstable conditions.

I observed weak surface snow over the weekend, but now it's buried and hidden underneath Monday's storm snow. This makes for a tricky setup where we can trigger avalanches from a distance or even an adjacent slope.