Vail & Summit County

You can trigger an avalanche where you find recently drifted snow resting on weak snow in the upper snowpack. You are most likely to find this combination at upper elevations on north and easterly-facing slopes. Avoid slopes just below ridgelines, convex rollovers, and in gullies if you notice recently drifted pillows of dense, textured snow. If you trigger an avalanche, it will likely break in weak snow in the upper portion of the snowpack, but it could break in weak snow near the ground if you find the right trigger point. You can trigger deeper slides from thinner areas of a slope, like near exposed rocks, bushes, and trees. Small slides close to the surface can also become the trigger for larger avalanches.

Look to slopes less than about 30 degrees without steep slopes above, or wind-sheltered and low elevation slopes that lack a dense slab as safer travel options. You might start to see loose snow avalanches on smooth, continuously steep slopes at lower elevations as the snowpack continues to lose strength and cohesion.