Steamboat & Flat Tops

You can trigger small avalanches on terrain features near and above treeline where you find wind-drifted snow resting on top of old, weak snow. You may trigger a larger avalanche if you see large areas of continuous snow. The most dangerous areas are below ridgelines, cross-loaded gullies, and concave slopes that catch and hold wind-drifted snow. You can identify these problematic slopes by looking for smooth rounded pillows of snow that sound hollow underfoot, crack, or collapse. If you find these signs of unstable snow, stick to low-angle terrain.