Grand Mesa

Start and end your day early. The most hazardous slopes are those with large cornices guarding the ridgelines. Cornices can fail naturally and trigger avalanches as they hit steep slopes below.

Watch for saturated, wet snow from either a rainstorm or daytime heating. Step onto the snow in just your boots and if you sink past your ankles into wet snow, head to cooler slopes or call it a day.

In high-elevation areas, that received snow over the last few days, this fresh snow will be more susceptible to wet avalanches. You can easily identify the fresh snow as it looks much whiter than the old, dusty snow surface.