Grand Mesa

You can trigger avalanches on slopes that have slabs one to four feet thick that rest over old weak snow. The most dangerous slopes face northerly and easterly near and above treeline. A relatively small avalanche could break on one of the multiple weak layers in the middle of the snowpack, but avalanches could become larger and more dangerous if slides step down into the weak layers near the ground. Shooting cracks and collapsing are signs of instability, but they may not be present before you trigger a large avalanche.