Right now our faceted layers are mostly dormant and starting to adjust to their recent load of snow from the past weekend. However, yesterday on my tour in the Timpanogos massif, I discussed with another forecaster that we wouldn't feel comfortable walking in steep open bowls that have been effected by the wind. Our biggest concern, was slopes where the wind deposited a slab on top of the weak December faceted snow. This layer is easy to find - simply dig in a safe location 2-3' deep and you'll see the small stripe of faceted snow. Again, my concern is where this layer is now buried and stressed by a larger amount of snow, that was deposited by the wind.
Most of the terrain has a LOW avalanche hazard. However, if you're planning on going big today - it doesn't mean we can simply turn our brain off. Look for and avoid upper elevation, steep unsupported slopes that have been effected by the wind, especially on the north half of the compass. This is exactly the terrain where there is an isolated chance for triggering a slab avalanche. Yesterday, I rode the steepest line of the year for myself. We did our homework, we communicated, we identified features of concern and entered the slope where it wasn't wind effected. We rode one at a time and broke the slope into 2 pitches keeping an eye on each other at all times in case we were wrong.
Photo: UDOT forecaster, John Woodruff taking the lead in the Provo area mountains.