Sawatch

You can trigger a dangerous avalanche that breaks on weak snow buried near the ground. The most dangerous slopes are wind-loaded terrain features such as the lee side of a ridgeline or inside of a gully or couloir. Here, there is a cohesive slab of snow around three to five feet thick that can break on the weak snow near the ground and take the whole season's snowpack with it. Safer travel options can be found on wind-sheltered slopes at lower elevations and by avoiding travel on or underneath slopes steeper than around 30 degrees where you find strong snow over weak snow.

January 7, 2023, two snowmobilers died in a large avalanche near Corona Pass. You can read the preliminary accident report here. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the people involved in this tragic accident.