Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Or take second chair from first Tomba up to the top, as you look down the mountain stay to the right of the snow park, fairly gentle field with small bushes but nice powder, don't go too far right come back to the top of chair 12 and enter woods there going down the side of run 10, again don't go too far right or it's a 3 hour hike back, as Mat said it's mainly within sight of lift lines but all very jolly stuff. Don't be tempted to the extreme stuff to the right of the mountain as you look up, too many lives being lost this year.

Accept that whatever you carry will be useful after the event, better to have mountain awareness and a realistic idea of the snow condition, taking into account base levels, previous freeze/thaw conditions, timescales from last fall, snow consolidation and slope position...
Snow is an unpredictable thing, and even with the best knowledge some slopes will always incur a certain amount of risk. In the main, skiing in trees in all conditions will be safer than open slopes, open slopes will be safer than gulleys etc... Snow adearesion is dependant on the gradient of the slope, appreciate that up to 30 degrees the risk is relatively low, though can still exist, above 30 degrees the risk steadily increases up to around 40 degrees where the ability of new snow to adeare to base snow is very unpredictable, especially if an icey base. Add this to perhaps a gulley, where the opportunity to `ski out' is very limited, then the risk is greatest...
Consolidation, or the ability of new snow to tie in with base layers is a natural process, in time the new snow, with its insulating properties, will raise the temperture of the base, and allow an amalgamation, but again, this can be unpredictable, dependant on the base layer tempertures, the amount of new snow, the consistancy of the new snow etc... Its quite a science, something i have studied, but can still remain a bit of a mystery...
In my experience if skiing off-piste, stay on slopes that are no steeper than 30 degrees, has some foliage, be it small bushes or trees, avoid steep gulleys or funnel valleys, cornices or areas under steep terrain. Read the slope, look for gradients, be aware of a `get out' at all times, test the snow, if untracked be tentative, look for stress points and rippling where the base layer may be unstable under the new snow....
I could go on, there is a risk im afraid, on the best day it is the most fantastic thing possible, on the worst, it could be your last day....