Gunnison

A Special Avalanche Advisory is in effect for the Elk and southern Sawatch Mountains and will run through Sunday afternoon. Recent storm snow rests on a weak, fragile snowpack. Dangerous avalanche conditions extend from mountain tops to valley floors. You can trigger a large, dangerous avalanche on many steep slopes including road cuts, river banks, and wind-sheltered or treed terrain at lower elevations. Safe backcountry travel this weekend requires that you recognize and avoid slopes capable of producing a large avalanche.

You can easily trigger an avalanche on most slopes steeper than 30 degrees, you can trigger these avalanches from hundreds of feet away and they are likely to break wider and run farther than you anticipate. You can avoid traveling on or underneath slopes steeper than around 30 degrees to reduce your chances of being surprised by a potentially deadly avalanche.