Grand Mesa

You can trigger an avalanche that breaks on a layer of weak snow buried about two to three feet below the snow surface on most shady northerly and east-facing slopes. On wind-loaded terrain features such as the lee side of a ridge or below a cornice, these avalanches can easily grow large enough to bury you. To reduce your chances of triggering an avalanche on the Grand Mesa, avoid traveling on slopes steeper than about 30 degrees that face northwest to north through east. Safer travel options exist by sticking to sunny slopes or low-angle shady slopes with no steep terrain overhead.