Lots of good input here. The top holes of the above picket seem to be bigger than the rest. May be they made them bigger so that you can pass the cable's end loop through the top holes to avoid having to cut a channel for the cable in certain snow conditions, or if you're in a hurry.

While doing my annual z-pulley practice I saw in a video that the Mountaineers showcase the V part of the anchor facing towards the fallen climber (minute 3:00 is where this is seen).