Sangre de Cristo

You can trigger a slab avalanche on previously wind-drifted slopes. The slopes capable of producing the largest avalanches face northerly or easterly at upper elevations. Assess the snowpack carefully before traveling on and under steep slopes. Avoid travel on slopes steeper than about 30 degrees where you find stiff slabs of snow resting above buried weak layers near the ground. Avoid areas beneath ridgelines, cornices, and gullies where you see evidence of drifting such as rounded snow pillows or a hard, sculpted snow surface. You will find safer conditions on wind-sheltered slopes where the snowpack is more than about 5 feet deep.