It didn't take much wind to whip yesterday's light density storm snow into fresh wind drifts, reactive to the additional weight of a rider. And while the vast majority of these settled out overnight, I bet there's a lingering drift or two that could still crack out around you today. The good news... it's an easy and mostly manageable avalanche problem to avoid. Found on steep, leeward slopes in the wind zone, simply steer clear of any fat, rounded piece of snow, particularly if it sounds hollow like a drum. And remember... our snowpack is super shallow and triggering even a small slide can take you for a body-bruising ride through rocks and stumps barely hidden under the thin snowpack.

There's a myriad of old snow surfaces... from windboard, to suncrusts, to plain old, weak surface surface snow and that'll allow for sluffing on steep, sustained slopes. Easy to manage through avoidance and not a big deal until the new snow slams you into a tree or buries you in a terrain trap like a gully. So... if you're headed out to cut a Christmas tree or for a family sleigh adventure, think about the terrain you're traveling in and avoid being on or under steep snow covered slopes.