Ted and I visited the south half of the range Friday and found avy conditions pretty straight-forward... there's not much going on at the moment. However, a little fresh snow coupled with gusty winds from last Tuesday created a few wind drifts along the leeward side of the highest ridges. And while today's drifts may react to our additional weight, it's easy not to get into trouble, because wind slabs are a cinch to detect by their fat, round, and often chalky looking appearance. The bad news is... even a small wind drift can easily knock you off your feet and take you for a nasty ride through rocks, deadfall, or stumps.

And remember- just 'cause you can see it from the road doesn't means it's good to go. Our high mountain passes dump us off in avalanche terrain. I think about early season roadside attractions like Murdock Bowl off the Mirror Lake Highway or Wolf Creek Bowl near highway 35 and Wolf Creek Pass. Easy grabs... right? Even though it might not seem like there's enough snow to avalanche, today you'll want to avoid any steep, wind drifted slope.