Steamboat & Flat Tops

The most dangerous slopes are easterly facing slopes where winds have drifted slabs of firm snow over buried weak layers. Avoid rounded pillows of firm snow and steep slopes where you see shooting cracks. The avalanche you trigger may stay in the upper snowpack, but a more dangerous concern is if it steps down to weak layers two to three feet deep. Steep rocky terrain with variable coverage and many trigger points are the slopes where you are more likely to trigger a deeper avalanche. You can find safer riding on planar slopes with a deep snowpack and no weak layer or slab.