Aspen

You might see few obvious signs of instability, but you can trigger a large avalanche on or below some steep slopes. It's difficult to determine which slopes hold a deeper, stronger, and more stable snowpack, from those with a shallower and easier-to-trigger snowpack. Prior avalanche activity from this season has left a calico patchwork of conditions. Snowpack tests in one spot may not represent conditions in a nearby avalanche release area. Conditions are tricky so play it safe by sticking to lower-angle slopes.