Aspen

A close call near Ashcroft on Wednesday offers a clear picture of the type of avalanche you can trigger this weekend. Slopes with wind-drifted, stiffer slabs are the most dangerous. Look for drifts of snow below ridgelines and in cross-loaded features. The slabs are thicker and avalanches will be larger at higher elevations. You can trigger a slide that breaks on multiple buried weak layers if you find areas of shallow or weak snow near a deeper wind-drifted slope.

You can find safer travel options on wind-sheltered south and southwest slopes at lower elevations and by sticking to slopes less than about 30 degrees without steep slopes above you.