We appear to be in the middle of a fairly fierce winter storm this weekend. I know the lovers-of-spring are disappointed, but the ski touring is fantastic. The snow conditions have never been better. (It is especially good when I have EDO to break trail for me.) The only cause for concern is the avalanche danger. We ski low-angled terrain, so I usually don't think about it. But today I began noticing the cut banks above the road. They are loaded with snow, and might have enough material to hit our ski track. I made a cut on one of the smaller banks and, sure enough, released a soft-slab avalanche. The top two layers of fresh snow (maybe from yesterday and today) slid easily on the ice lens that had formed during the warm, sunny weeks. There wasn't enough material to hit our track, but this was the smallest road cut: A couple of others are quite a bit larger. They will now have my attention, especially if it continues to snow.
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