Northern San Juan

You could trigger an avalanche on steep slopes at upper elevations where a cohesive slab of snow sits above older, weaker snow. You are more likely to impact this weak layer and trigger an avalanche near exposed rocks and on steep convex rolls.

You could also trigger an avalanche in recently wind-drifted snow at upper elevations. Snow accumulations look modest for most of the San Juans, but avalanches could be larger in isolated areas that pick up more than about 6 inches of new snow. Look for cracking in drifted snow as an indicator to move to wind-sheltered lower-angle slopes.

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