Vail & Summit County

You can trigger avalanches in the recently wind-drifted snow on easterly-facing slopes. These avalanches will be larger and more dangerous on northeast, east, and southeast-facing slopes where wind-drifted snow rests over buried weak layers one to two feet deep. Be especially careful on open easterly-facing slopes just below ridgelines.

You can still find these buried weak layers in more wind-sheltered areas, but avalanches will be smaller. These weak layers can be difficult to identify, and it is sometimes hard to assess their strength, so if you feel uncomfortable making those assessments, don't travel on slopes above terrain traps and stick to lower-angle terrain.