Grand Mesa

Dangerous and complicated avalanche conditions exist. You can trigger an avalanche on most slopes where last week's snow formed into a cohesive slab on top of very weak, cohesionless snow. You can trigger these avalanches from a distance, so be aware of steep slopes above you, even if you are on low-angle or flat terrain.

If you are traveling at lower elevations where this dangerous slab-over-weak-layer setup exists and enough rain fell on Wednesday, you can trigger a dangerous wet avalanche that may break wider and be larger than you think. The easiest way to reduce your risk is to avoid traveling on or under slopes steeper than about 30 degrees on slopes that face the northern half of the compass.