Southern San Juan

Abundant storm snow is burdening weak, collapsible snow layers making it very easy to trigger a dangerous avalanche on most steep slopes. Avalanches will be larger on northerly and easterly-facing slopes with fresh slabs of snow two to three feet deep, or in the alpine where winds built stiffer layers of snow over softer layers. Avalanches on wind-loaded slopes can span adjacent terrain features, run long distances to valley floors, and step down to deeply buried weak layers. Make conservative terrain choices, and avoid traveling below steeper slopes or large avalanche paths as some may fail naturally from additional drifting.