Of course we've seen worse looking snowpacks and it's no shock that our problem child (persistent weak layer or PWL), the sugary, faceted snow near ground is gonna gives us some heartburn. It's a classic, early season, strong snow resting on weak snow structure. Now for the inside line... all the snowpros, I knows, are giving this setup a wide berth because we realize it's a tricky combo.

Here's where it's deceiving... in areas where the pack is deep, the snow will feel strong and bomber underneath us. However, all we need to do is find a thin spot, maybe around a bush or rock, collapse the slope, and now we're staring down the barrel of a moving piece of snow that could ruin our day. In many areas the stiff, cohesive slab has relaxed somewhat and we might not be experiencing the in yer face, red flags like cracking or collapsing, But the layering is there and recent avy acitvity on the same types of slopes we wanna ride is the biggest bullseye clue.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a wind drift reactive to our additional weight, but it never ceases to amaze me how mountainous terrain can channel wind and deposit snow in unusual terrain features like chutes and gullies.

This avalanche dragon is pretty straight-forward and specific to upper elevation, shady terrain. Today, I'm looking for and avoiding fat, rounded, hard pillows of snow, especially if they sound hollow like a drum under my feet. Lose the wind and you lose the problem :)