Northern San Juan

The most likely place to trigger an avalanche is where strong gusty winds drift new and old snow into cohesive slabs directly below ridgelines. On northwest to north through east slopes, wind-drifted snow sits above shallow buried weak layers and avalanches can break deeper. Avoid trigger points like buried rocks, convex rollovers, or the edges of slopes where the slab is the thinnest.

You can find safer travel on slopes less than about 35 degrees steep or in wind-sheltered terrain.