Northern San Juan

Recent warm temperatures make triggering an avalanche increasingly more difficult. The most problematic slopes are northerly and easterly facing, steeper than about 35 degrees, and have a stiff slab over weak snow layers in the top meter of the snowpack. Trigger points in areas with a thinner slab increase your chance of impacting weaker snow below. Trigger points are often found near exposed rocks or trees, on convex rollovers, and below ridgelines.

Recent snowfall and wind did little to increase the avalanche danger. Instabilities in wind-drifted areas are likely limited to shallow surface snow, but remember, a small avalanche can be dangerous if taken off-guard in steep, complex terrain. Adjust your travels if you see cracking in freshly drifted snow. Additional snowfall Monday afternoon is not expected to change the avalanche danger.