Grand Mesa

You can trigger an avalanche that breaks a foot deep in wind-drifted snow. These slabs of drifted snow are most likely found above treeline on northerly-facing slopes. Avoid stiff, smooth drifts on steep slopes below corniced ridgelines and in cross-loaded alpine gullies.

It is worth it to note, two recently reported avalanches broke on deeper layers. One was on a northwest-facing slope near the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel, and one was on a north-facing slope in Halfmoon Creek west of Mount Elbert. These types of avalanches are uncommon, but it is worth considering and choosing northerly terrain to avoid if you are traveling in an area that has had a thin snowpack up until our spring storms.