Take a look at the picture above. Curious that the steep slopes to the lookers left stayed intact, while the nearby slope to the right avalanched. Investigating the avalanche we found just a little nuance in snowpack structure along with a slight midslope breakover. The 4th rider on the slope was able to knock the legs out from under the slab... yep, these are the characteristics of a persistent slab. Just when you're feeling good about stability.. bam! You're staring down the barral of a scary slide.

Yes, in most terrain across the range the pack is happy in its own skin. However, the Uinta's are a big zone and I bet there's still a surprise or two lurking out there today. Prime suspects include terrain that has already avalanched this year along with a vast majority of steep, shady slopes that have remained thin and shallow this winter. Terrain with these characteristics remains sketchy and should be considered guilty until proven otherwise. Sounds complicated, but the answer is easy. The way we manage unpredictable avalanche dragons is to simply avoid where they live. If you're looking for powder and safe riding, simply tone down your slope angles and avoid terrian with steep, wind drifted slopes hanging above you.

Not particularly widespread, there might be a rogue drift or two that remains reactive to the additional weight of a rider. Stiff wind slabs are most prevalent on the leeward side of upper elevation ridges and around terrain features like chutes and gullies. Today's hard slabs are gonna be a bit stubborn, but once triggered, can potentially break deeper and wider than you might expect and are gonna pack a punch. You can ride safely today by looking for and avoiding fat, rounded pillows of snow, especially if they sound hollow like a drum.