AVALANCHE! A couple quick thoughts.

Checking the Avalanche Sites is how your day should start. Grab a coffee/tea/hot chocolate, have a read and keep track of the changes. Just remember, looking at the colourfull bit at the top is NOT enough. Read the whole report. If you haven't already taken an avalanche safety course then take one. If it's been a LONG TIME since you have taken the course, take it again. Don't be afraid to take a beacon, and don't be afraid to turn back. And Take An Avalanche Course, reading the books is good, but take the course and learn more it might save your life. Remember, just because there is recent debris does not mean that it is safe. Last season I saw 8 major avalanches accross the lake from Louise Falls within 3 hours! It was the some 3 chutes that ran every time. The first one might have been a class 2, but the rest were class three, and each one was bigger than the last. The powder blast and wind reached us half way up the other side of the valley. Always always always make sure you're checking the snow as you hike in, and pay attention to the changes in snow, weather, temperature, and amount of sun throughout the day. The Avalanche forcast on Sunday was Low in Alpine; Low at Treeline; Low Below Treeline yet an avalanche on Sunday happened, and a climber died. Remember, LOW does not mean NO danger! Conditions change WAY FASTER THAN YOU WOULD THINK. Be safe out there. Don't leave your parnters and family without you just to tag that little bit of ice that will be there later. Climb Safe people.