Observation: Salt Lake

I went up to Alta with the Alta Avalanche Office to take a look around. I was surprised to find 4 to 10 inches of dry snow above about 9,000 feet on due north facing slopes. If you lose even a little elevation or if the aspect shifts, the snow quickly becomes nonexistent.

Unfortunately, there is some dry, cold, faceted snow on the shady, north facing terrain. It is very thin, but with a load of dense snow and strong winds I would find it possible to trigger an avalanche in these locations.