Northern San Juan

You can trigger an avalanche in wind-drifted snow on upper elevation slopes facing west through northeast to east. Avoid slopes with smooth, drifted features or stiff surface textures. Move to more wind-sheltered terrain or less-steep slopes if you experience cracking in the surface snow.

Triggering an avalanche that breaks into deeper weak layers becomes more difficult with each passing day, but if you do, the consequences remain serious. Avoid thin areas where the snowpack is less than about 5 feet deep. Slopes less than about thirty degrees without steep terrain above offer safer options.