Be constantly alert and observant as you travel. Imagine yourself as a wary cat keenly atuned to its environment. Consciously and deliberately gather stability information throughout your tour. (Right) Wind slabs are dangerous. A wind slab will often sound hollow or drumlike as you step on it. Wind pillows can look like a deep, sweet pile of powder. Either way, the structure of the snow pack is different in a wind-loaded area and you need to examine this if you are going to cross or descend a wind affected area.

Watch for recent avalanche activity. It is one of nature's billboards alerting you to instability.