Steamboat & Flat Tops

This is the deepest area in the Northern Mountains and you can trigger a large and deadly avalanche on west through north to south-facing slopes. Avalanches can break deeper than you anticipate and wrap around terrain features making escape impossible. There may not be any signs of instability before you trigger an avalanche, or you might travel the same slope multiple times without incident until you trigger an avalanche. You are most likely to trigger an avalanche from a shallower area of the snowpack like near exposed rocks, shrubs, or grass. Avalanches can be triggered from the bottom of a slope or from a distance, so pay attention to steep terrain overhead and keep your margins for error wide. Slopes less than about 30 degrees that are not connected to larger, steeper slopes above offer safer riding options.