Northern San Juan

You can trigger an avalanche where new snow is settling into a slab over buried weak layers. The most concerning places are where recent snow has buried firm slabs of wind-drifted snow on north and northeast-facing slopes in the alpine.

If you're traveling near and above treeline, listen for collapsing and look for cracking in the snowpack. Probe with a pole or dig down into the snowpack to look and feel for firmer buried layers. If you observe any of these signs, avoid steep slopes that tilt towards the north and instead, head for less steep slopes or a different aspect.