Sangre de Cristo

Strong winds continue to drift any available snow onto leeward slopes and plaster it into gullies. You might be able to trigger an avalanche where the drifted snow is thick and firm at upper elevations. Cracking in drifted 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.