First turns, avy safety & uphill policy

Like many missoula area skiers, my first turns came up at carlton ridge and the NE facing glades above carlton lake a few days ago.  Other than 2 folks at the lake on our way out, I was pleasantly surprised to not see anyone once beyond the carlton point overlook.

Keatan dropping in

Although the wind was howling up high, the skiing was surprisingly good and the one hasty pit that I dug at 8800ft on a wind loaded NE aspect did not reveal any glaringly obvious weak layers.  Seems the snowpack is off to a good start.

I cut out 4 or 5 small trees across the trail so a single large log is
the only obstacle on the always sporty ski out to the trailhead

Also, I am currently re-reading Bruce Tremper's excellent book - staying alive in avalanche terrain.  I like to re-read it every november and encourage others to do the same, to refresh the avy knowledge, decision-making and humbleness before another season of skiing commences.

I saw a quote the other day on wildsnow that I really liked - “We’ll do what we are told” (adam fabricant) in reference to the messages the mountains, weather and conditions tell us when we are out skiing, and how our decision making and route selection should react accordingly.  I think this is a great mentality to bring to the mountains, and too many folks fall victim to the "we are going out to ski (fill in the blank) today."  Terrain is the only side of the avy triangle that we can control (via route selection) so snowpack and weather should continuously be evaluated and go/no go terrain decisions made accordingly.  That sounds simple enough but the "human factor" can easily interfere.  In my mind, the growing popularity of social media, mainly instragram, can be a dangerous motivator for folks to ski bigger, more dangerous objectives with a greater emphasis on "how many 'likes' this is going to get me" instead of a clear-headed evaluation of the stability/safety of the terrain.    

Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the west central montana avalanche center will now be issuing 3 advisories per week (just 2 in years past).  Check them out here.  I continue to encourage backcountry users to get some avy education and apply it!  The avy center offers a nice mix of free lectures, $15 beacon clinics, level 1 classes and even a level 2 class in missoula this year.  Although the level 1 and 2 classes are not cheap, they are incredibly valuable for frequent backcountry users and in my opinion, a much better investment than an airbag pack, avalung, etc.

Lastly, another good storm or 2 will bring a skiable amount of snow to snowbowl, allowing myself and a number of other missoulians to begin skinning up there for exercise.  Their uphill policy appears unchanged from last year and can be found here.  Here also is Brian's excellent discussion of the policy (that I highly recommend you read before skinning snowbowl) and below are a few basic reminders/thoughts of my own:

-uphill closure in effect from 8:30am to 4:30/5pm (on days they are open).
-no dogs!  I have ran into people up there with their dog(s) more than once which is not allowed.  please obey the policy and keep uphill access open!
-hassling - I have been hassled by employees in the past despite being in accordance with the policy.  be informed, follow the policy and (politely) do your best to not get pushed around by unfriendly folks up there
-skiing by headlamp (or moonlight) as you look down on the city lights provides a nice view that never gets old
-pray for snow and get out skiing!