As the snowpack gets comfortable in its own skin, the possibilty of triggering an avalanche that breaks to our persistent weakness (seen as the red line in the pit above) now buried 2'-3' deep in the midpack, begins to decrease... and that's good news, suggesting we're trending in the right direction. And while no avalanches were reported to us yesterday, it's only been a couple of days since the last slide we know of broke to our midpack problem child. That said, I'm not gonna roll the dice and take my chances. No it's not a widespread issue, but the consequences remain serious. Once triggered, an avalanche breaking into these layers will quickly get out of hand and could instantly ruin our day. The most likely suspects are steep, wind drifted slopes facing north half of the compass. Fortunately with a little new snow, the riding conditions are improving on other aspects and we have more options on the table to avoid this avalanche dragon. Simply swing around to lower elevation slopes or choose low angle terrain with no steep slopes above or adjacent to where you're riding. (C.Brown photo)

While there's not a tremendous amount of snow available for transport, the Uinta's are a big range. In fact, it never ceases to amaze me how winds can find enough loose snow to whip up and create fresh wind slabs. Found mostly on the leeward side of upper elevation ridges, I bet there's a slab or two lurking around a gully wall or entrance to a chute. In either case, today you'll want to look for and avoid any fat, rounded piece of snow, especially if it sounds hollow like a drum.