Vail & Summit County

Avalanche conditions are dangerous; new snow and wind on Saturday keep them that way. You can trigger a deadly avalanche on many slopes. You might trigger a small slide in recently drifted snow, but the bigger hazard is slides that break deeply into the snowpack. Obvious signs that you can trigger a deep, dangerous slide, like booming, rumbling collapses, are diminishing. Yet observers continue to report large avalanches, many triggered remotely and some releasing naturally. Cracking just in drifted snow is a sign you can trigger a slide closer to the surface. Avoid steep slopes where you see this sign; small slides close to the surface can trigger larger, deeper avalanches. You can find safer travel on low-angled slopes well away from steep terrain.