Mear Ridge

<p>We ski toured above Mear Lake to check out the snowpack at some upper elevations closer to ridgetop. Because we were still getting some localized whumpfing (sound of a weak layer collapsing in the snowpack) on our approach, we picked our terrain carefully, trying to stick to slightly lower angle terrain, and when stepping out in to steeper stuff, avoiding terrain traps like trees and cliffs. Although winds were only very light from the north today, there has been some previous wind effect at ridgetops building some small slabs. We didn't see any new natural avalanche activity today, but still had the potential for human triggering on our minds.</p>