Steamboat & Flat Tops

Recent strong winds combined with new snow created dangerous avalanche conditions. Continued incremental snowfall will keep the danger elevated into the weekend. You can trigger a large, deadly avalanche on any slope where you find thick deposits of dense, wind-drifted snow resting on weak snow. A small avalanche in recently wind-drifted snow can easily step down into a larger, more dangerous slide. Strong winds can drift snow further down the slope than you expect and into unusual places. Look for and avoid bulbous pillows of snow below ridgelines, on the sides of gullies, and downhill of convex rollovers. Steep northerly and easterly-facing slopes are the most dangerous and you should avoid traveling on or below them at any elevation. Stick to slopes less than about 30 degrees that are not connected to steeper slopes above.