Vail & Summit County

You can trigger an avalanche where you find cohesive slabs of drifted snow at upper elevations. Avoid pillows of drifted snow on steep slopes below ridges, inside gullies, and behind convex rollovers. Cracking in the drifted snow is a sign you can trigger an avalanche. Head to slopes less than about 35 degrees or slopes sheltered from the wind as safer options.

Although it is unlikely, steep, shallow, shady slopes are spots where you could trigger an avalanche on buried weak layers. Avoid these areas or check that the snow depth is over about 2 meters to reduce this hazard.

A few inches of snow and breezy conditions will limit the warming of the snow on Monday. However, with above-freezing temperatures expected, a short window of sun could be enough to make the new snow shed off steep slopes. Avoid traveling on or below steep, sunny, and rocky slopes with a fresh coating of snow if the surface is getting wet.