Aspen

You can easily trigger a slab avalanche on steep wind-drifted terrain features where you find more than about a foot of fresh snow on the now-buried rain crust from late February. The more worrisome situation is if an avalanche breaks through that crust, into deeper buried weak layers. You can find safer conditions in wind-sheltered, lower-angled terrain without steep terrain overhead. Move away from steep slopes with wet snow later in the day.

On March 7th, a backcountry skier was caught and killed in an avalanche near Vail Pass. The avalanche released on a northeast-facing slope near treeline, about 2 to 3 feet deep. Our deepest condolences to the deceased skier's family, friends, and community. You can read the preliminary accident report here.