In reply to ExiledScot:
I'd say the significance is you can have some big avalanches in the northern corries, a short distance from the safety of the car park. Similar applies to Aonach Mor off the top of the lifts. On most other hills or areas you have a longer walk, you feel and see the conditions change, see or hear thawing, spot snow blowing over crests, see drifts forming in lee of boulders, so either deliberately or subconsciously you form a picture of risk. On a short walk you can head down thrash along a worn track for 30 mins and bam you're in a high risk area before you know it, like in this case Lochain basin, where you're at risk of something coming down on you from more than one aspect.