Vail & Summit County

Avoid steep, recently drifted slopes. You can tell which ones these are by the relatively harder surface snow. You can trigger avalanches in the drifted snow or larger, destructive avalanches that break near the ground. You are unlikely to get any warning signs like cracking and collapsing before you trigger a deadly slide. North through east to southeast-facing steep slopes that sit directly below ridgetop are most prone to wind loading and are the most dangerous. Stick to slopes sheltered from the wind, with softer snow, to reduce your risk of avalanches.