Vail & Summit County

You can trigger an avalanche in recently drifted snow at upper elevations on Friday. Variable winds the past two days drifted snow into stiff slabs in some unusual locations in addition to commonly loaded areas. Look for and avoid lens-shaped or bulbous pillows of snow directly beneath ridgelines and on the sides of gully features. Newly formed cornices are a sign that the slope below holds drifted snow. A shallow slide in the drifted snow could trigger an avalanche that breaks about two to three feet deep on a buried weak layer. Slopes that face northerly and easterly are the most suspect and you can find safer travel on wind-sheltered terrain.