Winds have been all over the place the past few days and yesterday was no exception. Averaging in the 30's and gusting into the 40's and 50's, yesterday's south and southwest winds had no problem finding loose snow and rapidly forming sensitive slabs along the leeward side of mid and upper elevation ridges. Late in the day winds switched to the southeast, loading a whole host of west facing terrain we're not accustomed to seeing. In either case, today's drifts will be sensitive to the additional weight of a rider and they'll break a bit wider and deeper than you might expect. In addition, they'll be packing a punch and can easily ruin your day by slamming you into a group of trees or carrying you over a cliff band in steep unforgiving terrain. You're best defense is a good offense... look for and avoid fat, rounded pillows of snow, particularly if they sound hollow like a drum.

Not overly deep, but this slide triggered earlier this week could've easily slammed you into this group of trees, instantly ending a good season of riding.

While not particularly widespread, avalanches continue to break to the weak January facets, particularly on steep, shady, north facing slopes. Adding a tricky variable to the mix is that some of our weakest snow is found mid slope, making us particularly vulnerable when climbing from the bottom. Not every steep northerly facing slope is going to avalanche and that'll give us a false sense of snow stability. Remember- all we need to find is a weak spot in the snowpack and kick the legs out from under the slab. Best way to avoid getting tricked is to manage your terrain choices.

This was another triggered slide from a day or two ago on Moffit Peak. Ted estimated it to be 2' deep x 50' wide x 100' vertical. This is 38 degree slope is a northeast aspect at 10,000' in elevation.

Our snowpack is relatively thin for mid February. This is at the crown of the Moffit slide where Ted's compression and ECT scores were 20 and 21 taps from the shoulder with Q1 shears. This means it's going to take a bit of a thump, but has enough energy to break wider than you might expect.