171222 - Kootenay Pass - A Tiny Step Out

We started stepping out just a tiny bit today. I feel like it's all about slab property and terrain. Where there's no slab, it's pretty easy to manage the loose snow problem, but add a bit of consolidation and/or steeper slopes, and it's a huge problem. Our first run of the day was very well supported. See photo #1. Even on this gentle slope, we were triggering whumphs and shooting cracks, but the terrain would not produce an avalanche. Photo # 2 shows what happened when we entered slightly bigger terrain at the end of the day. The best skiing and likely lowest hazard is found on well supported slopes at and below treeline right now. The tricky part is that this vegetation/elevation band is exactly where you'll find pockets of surface hoar, and a touchy slab avalanche problem.