Early Season

The stoke is high, the new boards are mounted and we are ready to charge! Bring on winter. Check your gear to make sure it's functioning well. Ski with your bindings unlocked as downed trees are barely buried. Ski with a helmet, rocks are everywhere. Maybe use a pair of old rock skis instead of your bright shiny new boards. Replace the batteries in your avalanche beacon.

As for the snowpack, it is touchy. Even though there is not much snow, the total height of the snowpack (HS) is short, there can still be avalanches. Avalanches can and do slide on the ground. The dirt/rocks/grass/cliffs can be a bed surface for avalanches to occur, be aware when entering avalanche terrain.

Extended Column Tests (ECT) are a good tool to use to investigate this problem, so long as there is less than 1 meter of snow. If the weak layer you are concerned with is deeper than 1 meter then tapping on the shovel in a pit while doing an ECT will not reveal accurate results.