Grand Mesa

You can trigger a slab avalanche that breaks around two feet deep on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees. Recently fallen snow rests above a widespread weak layer that hides in the upper snowpack. The most likely place to find this problematic slab and weak layer combination is on northerly slopes. You might trigger a steep slope overhead or from flatter terrain below. If you choose to travel on steep northerly slopes, avoid slopes that end in terrain traps such as steep gullies, cliffs, or thick trees.