Aspen

If you find more than about ten inches of drifted snow, you can trigger an avalanche. Avoid steep slopes with pillow-like drifts of snow, such as just below ridgelines and in cross-loaded gullies. Retreat to low-angle or wind-sheltered slopes if you see cracking within the new snow.

There is a chance you could trigger a more dangerous avalanche that breaks on a weak layer two to four feet deep. You may not see any warning signs before you do. To reduce your chances of triggering one of these deeper slides, avoid steep slopes with a variable or thinner-than-average snowpack.