Northern San Juan

You may trigger an avalanche where you find dense snow stacked on top of buried weak layers. Be cautious near steep, northerly-facing slopes. You may not see cracking or feel collapsing before you trigger an avalanche. Look for and avoid areas of shallow snow near exposed rocks, on the backside of steep rollovers, and below cliffs. You can find safer travel options on south-facing slopes, or those less steep than about 30 degrees without steep terrain overhead.

A winter storm arrives Friday night and picks up throughout the day Saturday. It will be easier to trigger an avalanche in the new storm snow. Do not use today’s avalanche problems to plan your weekend.