Front Range

You can trigger small avalanches where you find eight inches or more of freshly fallen snow on all slopes steeper than about 35 degrees. While less likely, you could also trigger an avalanche that breaks in older, weak snow or near the ground on north and northeast-facing slopes at upper elevations. Move to slopes less than about 30 degrees if you observe obvious signs of unstable snow, such as ripples in the soft snow surface as you move across slopes or hear an audible collapse. Even small avalanches can be dangerous if you are knocked down above terrain traps such as cliffs, rocks, or gullies.