An old wet snow avalanche in the Iron Mountain Chute than ran within the past week. Steep, rocky terrain like in the photo above is that a great example of the text book terrain I am steering away from today.

It's feeling more like early summer than spring, but old weak snow from the January dry-spell sits buried deep in the snowpack and high in the alpine contributing to our sliver of "yellow" hazard on the rose, today. Although we have not seen avalanching on this layer recently, and the snowpack has put on its spring look, general structure and a few lingering stability test results urge us to not take our eye completely off of it. Today's temperatures will warm up, and I would be hesitant stepping into the biggest terrain you can find during the hottest part of the day -- specifically, steep, rocky slopes where the snowpack is thin and easily affected by our additional weight and the elements.

Here's a few things I am keeping in mind when gunning for the hills today:

• Get on the snow early while it's solid and get out before it becomes unglued -- Stay off of punchy, unsupportable slopes.
• Steer clear of big terrain during the heat of the day -- Avoid being under large avalanche paths and cornices that will become more sensitive with warming.
• Remember the Uinta's are remote, go prepared -- Always carry avalanche rescue equipment, and be prepared to self-rescue.