Blow Me Down - straight up from Nature Trail

<p>Introduced a new friend to backcountry touring so the goal was a light, fun day on the snow with as little risk as possible involved. We stuck to almost-zero consequence slopes (less than 25 degrees, most under 20). Slopes on an easterly aspect had some light snow (5-10cm) blown on heavy crust. Westerly slopes were scoured & icey. Anything above the treeline was scoured and icey and did not align with our goals of an introductory, fun day. Lower down we found pockets of playful, but slim, powder. The ski out to the trailhead thru the sparse trees was very enjoyable. No pit dug as we stayed in such low degree/low consequence terrain. No signs of recent avalanches, whumpfing, instability, etc. The day did not warm enough to loosen the hard-pack or icey snow but will. Only concern of note was a creek/ditch that is typically buried this time of year. It has not covered over at all and still has water running. Something to be aware of that many waterways we are used to being buried may likely not be. See photo of close-call where I almost skied into it. Overall a great day to be outside and on the snow, but not a great day for alpine or higher difficulty skiing. </p>

Terrain Ridden

Mellow slopes, Open trees.

Terrain Avoided

Alpine slopes, Convex slopes, Steep slopes.

Snow Conditions

Crusty, Hard, Heavy, Powder, Wind affected.

Weather Conditions

Sunny, Warm.