Sangre de Cristo

Snow coverage is thin in the Sangre de Cristo's. Snow depth maps only show a maximum of eighteen to twenty inches of snow, even at upper elevations. If you were to trigger an avalanche, it would be where the recent storm developed a cohesive snow slab on top of old, weak snow. The most dangerous slopes face northwest to north through east with the deepest snow drifts on the lee side of ridgelines or in a gully or couloir. South, west-facing slopes and slopes less than 30 degrees offer safer travel options.