Grand Mesa

Increasingly strong westerly winds will once again drift new snow above treeline on Friday. Avoid stiff, smooth drifts on steep slopes below corniced ridgelines and in cross-loaded alpine gullies. Most avalanches will be small, entraining recently drifted snow, but they could become dangerous in consistently steep or cliffy terrain. Note we received two reports of avalanches breaking on deeper weak layers in areas that held a generally shallow snowpack through the winter. Choose wind-sheltered or wind-scoured terrain to avoid the problem.