Sangre de Cristo

A widespread blanket of new snow and strong winds keep the danger elevated. Observers report 12 to 24 inches of new snow and drifting below treeline. You can trigger an avalanche in the new storm snow. Changing wind directions may continue to stiffen slabs of new snow. Cracking in the new snow is a good indicator that you have found a stiff slab and a signal to move to a different slope or lower-angle terrain.

Conditions are still shallow in most places, and the most dangerous slopes correspond with where you find the deepest and most continuous snow coverage in the alpine.