Gunnison

The avalanche conditions are dangerous. You can easily trigger a large and destructive avalanche breaking two four feet deep on west through north to southeast-facing slopes that breaks into old snow near the ground. Wind-drifted slopes are the most dangerous because of the extra load stressing the deeply buried weak layers. Remember, a small avalanche in wind-drifted snow can easily trigger a larger more dangerous slide. If you trigger an avalanche, it might break wider and run further than you anticipate and you can trigger them on, below, or adjacent to steep slopes. South and southwest-facing slopes offer safer options, but be aware that you might trigger small avalanches just beneath ridgelines that break in the freshly-drifted snow resting on bare ground. Your best bet to avoid avalanches on the most suspect aspects is to stick to slopes less than about 30 degrees that are not connected to any large slopes.