The National Weather Service Forecasts-

TODAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOCALLY WINDY. HIGHS AROUND 18. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 25 MPH. WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH NEAR DOWNTOWN JUNEAU AND DOUGLAS.

TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOCALLY WINDY. CHANCE OF SNOW. LOWS 6 TO 14. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 25 MPH. GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH NEAR DOWNTOWN JUNEAU AND DOUGLAS DIMINISHING LATE.

WEDNESDAY...DECREASING CLOUDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS AROUND 20. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH DECREASING TO 10 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND CHILL TO 20 BELOW IN THE MORNING.

Well its winter cold... and the forecast does have the word snow in it... but conditions today remain the same as they have been the past few weeks.

Avalanche danger is LOW at this time. The snowpack is quite stable in place. There is very little loose snow available for transport so the wind should not change danger levels much.

Dig quick pits on your ascent.

A hasty pit is a hole dug in the snow that helps you identify weak and strong layers. If you suspect that there may be a weak layer buried deeply, you should always dig below that point. Otherwise a hole about one meter (3 ft) deep should be sufficient.

Once you dig the hole, you will be able to see major layers on the wall of the snow pit. You can detect hard strong layers and soft weak layers by poking the exposed layers in the wall of the pit with your finger, or by brushing the pit wall with your hand and looking for hard and less hard layers. You can also slide a credit card or ruler down through the layers and note the changes in resistance. An additional indicator that will help you identify layers that otherwise may be hard to detect is the shovel shear.

The more observations you make and stability tests you perform the more apt you are to accurately assess the stability. Relying on one piece of data is like getting married on your first date. Sometimes it works, but generally it's not a good idea.