Vail & Summit County

Easterly-facing slopes at upper elevations are the most dangerous. Here buried weak layers two to three feet deep are lurking under conhesive snow. If you trigger a small slide in the upper snowpack, there is a chance that it could step down into the deeper layers creating a very large avalanche like this one around Cameron Pass. You may not get feedback from the snowpack like cracking and collapsing before a large slide breaks. Multiple sets of tracks on a slope do not mean it is safe. As temperatures warm and the sun comes out you may experience wet, heavy snow sluffing on steep, sunnier aspects at lower elevations. Though these will be small, they can be enough to knock you over and take you for a ride. Seek cold, wind-sheltered slopes and slopes less than about 30 degrees for safer travel options. These are low probability, high consequence times.