Southern San Juan

A Special Avalanche Advisory is in effect for the La Plata Mountains to Coal Bank Pass, Weminuche Wilderness, and Wolf Creek Pass to the New Mexico border. Heavy snowfall created dangerous avalanche conditions that will last through Sunday. You can easily trigger a large and dangerous avalanche at upper elevations.

The most dangerous places are wind-loaded slopes near and above treeline. Thick drifted slabs resting above weaker, faceted snow increases your chance to trigger a large avalanche. Avalanches that break below the new snow could step down into weak snow layers several feet deep on slopes facing west through north to east. The deeper the avalanche breaks, the more likely it is to span across terrain features and be more challenging to escape. Avoid slopes steeper than about 30 degrees with drifted slabs around 10 inches thick, and choose a different slope if you see shooting cracks or hear audible collapses. Southerly-facing slopes and lower-angled terrain without steeper slopes directly above you offer safer travel options.