Front Range

You can trigger an avalanche in freshly-drifted snow near and above treeline. Avoid smooth, lens-shaped pillows of snow on steep slopes below ridgelines, on convex rollovers, and on the sides of gullies. Strong winds may have drifted snow lower on the slope than you expect. Small slides in the new snow may step down into buried weak layers within the snowpack creating a much larger avalanche. Shooting cracks within the new snow are an obvious sign of instability and an indication to move to wind-sheltered slopes for safer travel.