The recent storm delivered a good thump to the snowpack and I suspect steep, northerly terrain that held weak, old October snow came to life and produced small, natural avalanches. Steep, shady slopes that didn't avalanche wait for a trigger like us to roll along and tip the scales. So, this is exactly the type of terrain we want to avoid. And while the snowpack settled somewhat and gained some strength overnight, given the current "stronger snow on top of weaker snow" structure, I bet you can still trigger avalanches from a distance or from adjacent slopes. You don't have to dive too deep into the avalanche tool box or get too technical in order to get a handle on current conditions. Tweak small test slopes that are similar to the type of terrain you wanna ride and see how they're reacting to your additional weight. Look for clues to unstable snow like shooting cracks, whoomping sounds, and of course the biggest clue to avalanches... avalanches!

Now here's where it gets complex... there's a fresh blanket of snow coating our mountains and everything's gonna look white. In fact, it'll be more difficult to determine what slopes held early season snow. But remember... terrain that faces the south half of the compass was bare prior to yesterday's storm. And while there's plenty of gear wrecking rocks and stumps to slam into, there's no old snow and avalanche issues are straight-forward.

And remember- a few of our high mountain passes dump us off in avalanche terrain. I think about early season roadside attractions like Wolf Creek Bowl near Highway 35 and Wolf Creek Pass. Easy grab... right? However, just 'cause you can see it from the road doesn't means it's good to go.