Sangre de Cristo

Many slopes are safe from avalanches. The few places you could trigger a small avalanche are steep, wind-drifted slopes that face north to northeast through east. You can avoid these areas by identifying smooth, rounded pillows or wind-stiffened snow below ridges and on open leeward slopes. Any avalanche you trigger will likely be small. Still, even a small slide could be dangerous if it piles debris into a creek bed or pushes you off a cliff.