Steamboat & Flat Tops

You can easily trigger an avalanche on slopes where you find more than about 8 inches of new or drifted snow. You may see cracks in the surface snow, warning you of unstable slabs. If you experience cracking, head to slopes sheltered from the wind or lower-angle slopes.

Although hard to do, you might still trigger an avalanche on weak layers near the ground. This is most likely on steep slopes with shallow snow coverage. Avoid slopes covered in trigger points like rocks, trees, and convex rolls. These increase your likelihood of triggering a deeper avalanche. Look for safer travel on slopes with over 2 meters of snow or without a buried weak layer.