The sun is high in the sky and it's packing heat. As temperatures rise, low and mid elevation slopes, especially those facing the south half of the compass will heat up and become damp and manky. As the day wares on, you'll want to avoid any steep slope that feels unsupportable or punchy... kinda like a trap door. In addition, steer clear of terrain traps like gullies and road cuts where wet, heavy, cement-like debris can stack up very deeply.

As Friday night's storm snow gets its first taste of warming temperatures and strong spring sunshine it'll settle, consolidate, and become more of a slab. In addition, todays slabs are resting on a thin, slick raincrust and once triggered, might be slightly bigger than you bargained for. While manageably breaking at or below our skis, board, or sled I always think about the consequences of triggering even a small slide and getting dragged over a rock band or slammed into a tree. Also, remember that snow conditions can change rapidly this time of year, so If you're bowl hopping, re-evaluate the snow by tweaking small test slopes similar in aspect, elevation, and slope angle to what you want to ride. See how they're reacting before charging into a big, committing line.

In the image above you can clearly see Friday's storm snow resting on a thin rain crust.

Cornices have grown extremely large and recent warm temperatures are turning these boxcar monsters into unpredictable beasts. Once released, a cornice crashing down on the slope below can easily trigger an avalanche, entraining more snow then you might've bargained for and stacking up large piles of tree snapping debris.

I'm not convinced we're entirely done with our near surface facet and surface hoar problem children, but lately they've been pretty well-behaved. Trouble is... they're now buried several feet beneath the snow surface and if triggered, the end result is a going to be an unmanageable slide. Found on the north half of the compass in mid elevation terrain, with a little homework, by digging around you can easily identify slopes that have a suspect snowpack and simply avoid them. Recent observations reveal this weak layer most prominent near Smith-Moorehouse, Hoyt Peak, Soapstone, and Daniels.