Yesterday's wind drifts were mostly welded in place and not very connected or widespread. I think this will be theme again today, but remember- even a small slide can get quickly out of hand if it breaks to weak sugary snow near the ground. Sure, it's becoming harder to trigger a deep, dangerous avalanche, but we're still finding places that have weak sugary snow near the ground with stronger, more dense snow resting on top. Steep terrain that faces the north half of the compass, at or above tree line, and particularly slopes that previously avalanched during the big Solstice Storm should be considered suspect and still need to be carefully evaluated.

Here's a great example of a shallow slide that breaks to weak snow, deeper in the snowpack. This sled triggered avalanche in Race Track Bowl occurred on Feb. 13th and it's what we call a "repeater"... meaning it slid earlier in the season.

The sun is high in the sky and it will soften the snow surface as the day wares on. Before you find yourself sinking into damp, gloppy snow, have an exit strategy planned, and actually it's really quite straight-forward. During the heat of the day, simply get off of an out from under steep sunny slopes and avoid terrain traps like gullies and road cuts where avalanche debris can pile up very deeply.