Steamboat & Flat Tops

You can trigger a dangerous avalanche on steep slopes, from the base of slopes, or from a distance. Slopes with drifted pillows of snow will be the most dangerous. If you trigger an avalanche in the recently drifted snow, it will likely step down to deeper buried weak layers. You may not see obvious signs of instability, such as natural avalanches, cracking, or collapsing, before you trigger an avalanche. You can find safer riding on slopes less than about 30 degrees in steepness, or on south and southwest-facing slopes are generally safer, as they have no buried weak layer.