Southern San Juan

You could trigger an avalanche on steep slopes where cohesive slabs of snow sit above weaker snow. The most dangerous slopes are at upper elevations and face northwest to north to northeast. Here winds drift recent snowfall into deeper more connected slabs and avalanches may be larger.

Look for and avoid trigger points near rock outcroppings, below cliff bands, or on steep convex rolls. If you observe cracking or collapsing, reevaluate your plan and move to a lower angle or lower elevation slope. Sticking to slopes less than about 35 degrees in steepness will reduce your risk of triggering an avalanche.