Southern San Juan

You can trigger a large and dangerous avalanche where you find cohesive slabs of new snow thicker than about 12 inches. Move to lower-angle slopes if you observe signs of instability, such as recent avalanches, cracking, or collapsing in the new storm snow. Small slides in steep terrain can grow larger and pick up speed, becoming dangerous if you are pushed into terrain traps like gullies, trees, or cliffs.

Avalanches in the new snow could step down to deeper buried weak layers, releasing a larger slide that breaks wider than you might expect. These conditions can be found on slopes steeper than 35 degrees that face northerly or easterly in areas where the snowpack may be shallower, such as exposed rocks and below ridges and cliffs.