Amazing snow with hidden hazards.

There is some really amazing skiing out there, but go in with an early season mindset We tried our best to stay on southern aspects, and only noticed any whumpfing in the alpine on a cross loaded wind slab (<30 degrees). We did not notice any other signs of instability on southern aspects. We were able to trigger a very small slab avalanche on a north facing test slope under a cornice. It slid easily on the crust layer suggesting a weak interface. Skiing itself was amazing powder turns on good supportive crust... until it wasnt. The rocks hidden under the snow caught each member of our group by surprise. One causing a critical gear failure (that ski straps couldnt resolve)where the member had to get down in walk mode, myself getting a core shot. The key here is to not go powder blind as the sharks are still in the water between the good riding.