Sawatch

Avalanche conditions are dangerous. You can trigger a slide anywhere you find a thick slab of recent snow resting on old, weak snow near the ground. Northerly and easterly-facing slopes are the most dangerous and you are most likely to trigger an avalanche large enough to bury you on these slopes. You can even trigger avalanches from a distance or from the bottom of a slope. Shooting cracks and audible collapses are indications of dangerous snow conditions. Look for slopes less than about 30 degrees without steep slopes above for safer travel.