Grand Mesa

You can trigger an avalanche on slopes where you find more than a foot of drifted snow. Avalanches can break up to three feet deep in the snow that has accumulated this week. Small avalanches can have dire consequences if you get carried into a terrain trap like a gulley, trees, or onto an abrupt road bank transition. Cracking and collapsing are signs you should move to sheltered terrain or lower-angle slopes. You can stay safer by sticking to slopes less than about 30 degrees.