Gunnison

You can trigger an avalanche on thin, stiff slabs of wind-drifted snow above treeline on easterly-facing slopes. A few inches of new snow will fall overnight combined with wind strong enough to move the new snow and old snow from the previous storm. Identify and avoid wind-loaded slopes along the lee side of a ridge or the sides of a gully or couloir. You can identify a wind-loaded slope by its smooth, often wave-like appearance and the hard, hollow feeling often associated with cracks shooting out in front of you when traveling across it.