Sangre de Cristo

You might be able to trigger an avalanche where winds drift snow into thick and firm slabs at upper elevations. Cracking in the new snow is a good indicator that you have found a stiff slab, signaling a need to move to a different slope or lower-angle terrain.

Conditions are still shallow in most places, and the most dangerous slopes correspond with where you find the deepest and most continuous snow coverage in the alpine.