Vail & Summit County

You can easily trigger an avalanche in drifted snow at upper elevations, and they may release naturally. Avoid rounded pillows of drifted snow on steep slopes below ridges, in gullies, and behind convex rollovers. If you trigger a surface slide, the avalanche might break deeper into the snowpack. If you find the wrong spot on a slope, you can trigger a large, wide, and potentially deadly avalanche. Multiple people can ride a slope before one of these slides occurs, and you are unlikely to see any warning signs. Paths that already slid this season are more likely to slide again. Look for slopes less than about 30 degrees that are not connected to steeper slopes above as safer options.