Northern San Juan

Elevated winds and new snow on Saturday formed thick reactive slabs in the alpine. Winds were strong enough to drift snow below treeline. You can trigger an avalanche in the wind-drifted snow. Avalanches will be larger and may be triggered from a distance where drifted snow has formed stiff, connected slabs that sit above buried weak layers. The most dangerous slopes face north, northeast, and east in the alpine.

Look for instabilities like cracking and collapsing or avalanches on similar slopes and head to lower-angle terrain or a slope that faces west or south if you observe these signs.