Northern San Juan

The most dangerous slopes are where you find firm slabs of wind-drifted snow sitting over buried weak layers. The most likely place to find this problem is on steep slopes that face northwest, north, and northeast.

A marginal overnight freeze, blue skies, and warm temperatures make triggering a wet avalanche possible at all elevations. Wet avalanches often release below rocks or cliffs and gain mass as they move downhill. Avoid travelling on or below steep, sunny, snow-covered slopes during the heat of the day. To avoid this problem, start and end your day early.