Gunnison

Strong winds and heavy snowfall created dangerous avalanche conditions for Thursday. You can trigger avalanches that break in the recent snow on most steep slopes. The most dangerous avalanches will be on slopes with wind-drifted snow, so northwest to east through south-east-facing slopes at higher elevations. Look for drifted snow lower in the terrain than you may be used to seeing.

You can reduce your chances of being caught in an avalanche by avoiding the lee sides of ridgelines and steep slopes with a smooth, rounded, often wave-like surface appearance indicating the presence of wind-drifted snow.