Southern San Juan

Recent snowfall and moderate winds increase your chances of triggering an avalanche on steep slopes where you find a cohesive slab on top of older, weak snow. You could trigger an avalanche if you encounter 8 inches or more of new or drifted snow on a slope steeper than about 35 degrees. With only a small amount of new snow, loose snow avalanches may become easier to trigger or larger, and they could become dangerous if triggered in consequential terrain. If you see signs of instability, such as cracking, collapsing, and easily triggered loose avalanches, move to lower-angle slopes for safer travel conditions.