Front Range

You can trigger an avalanche where recently fallen snow drifted into slabs over buried weak layers. The most dangerous slopes are easterly facing below ridgelines, steep rollovers, and in gully features. Most slides will break on weak snow in the upper snowpack, but some may break more deeply. The most likely place you can trigger a larger avalanche is from a thinner area on a slope, like near exposed rocks or bushes or the margins of a slope. Smaller slides can easily become the trigger for a larger avalanche. Multiple people can ride a slope before someone triggers an avalanche and you may not observe any cracking or collapsing before you do. Consider all of these factors while choosing the terrain you want to ride. You can find safer travel in wind-sheltered areas and on slopes less than about 30 degrees.