Sawatch

You can trigger a dangerous avalanche where you find wind-drifted snow. The drifts will mostly be on north through east to south-facing slopes at upper elevations. Use visual and textural clues to identify and avoid drifted spots. Look for cornices and scalloped surfaces. Drifted snow will feel stiff or chalky, and you may see shooting cracks as you approach the edges of drifts. In the drifted areas, slopes either lack a slab or have insufficient snow to produce a dangerous avalanche.