Southern San Juan

December snowfall has settled into a thick, cohesive slab of snow on top of a weak, problematic snowpack on slopes that face west through north to east at all elevations. You could trigger an avalanche large enough to bury or injure you on slopes with around 1 to 2 feet of recent snowfall above weaker snow layers. Place an extra buffer between you and any suspect slopes as you can trigger a slide from below a slope or from a distance, and avoid traveling above gullies with steeper terrain overhead. Strong winds are thickening wind-drifted areas on easterly-facing slopes and may overload buried weak snow layers and increase your chance of triggering a larger, more destructive slide. You may not observe signs of unstable snow like shooting cracks or audible collapses, therefore, steer clear of wind-drifted areas that look smooth and rounded, and stick to slopes around 32 degrees.