Southern San Juan

Dangerous, cohesive slabs of snow three to four feet thick exist on many slopes where you can trigger a large, deadly avalanche. Most avalanches will break in the new or drifted snow, while some may break in the middle or bottom of the snowpack, and in surprising ways. At upper elevations, you may find deeper drifted slabs across terrain features capable of producing a more destructive slide that travels long distances impacting valley bottoms and lower elevations. Avoid places where you see evidence of drifting like lens-shaped pillows of snow or a hardened snow surface beneath ridgelines, cornices, and steep sidewalls of gullies. If you see cracking in the snow or hear audible collapses, stick to low-angle slopes without steeper terrain overhead.