Front Range

You can trigger an avalanche where you find more than a foot of drifted snow at upper elevations. Avoid steep slopes with pillow-like drifts of snow, especially below ridgelines and in cross-loaded gullies. Some drifts could be dense and textured, while others might be soft and smooth. Cracking in the surface snow is an indication to move to low-angle or wind-sheltered terrain, but you may not see any obvious signs of instability to warn you of dangerous conditions.

There is a chance you could trigger a more dangerous avalanche that breaks on a weak layer two to four feet deep. You may not see any warning signs before you do. To reduce your chances of triggering one of these deeper slides, avoid steep slopes with a variable or thinner-than-average snowpack.