Southern San Juan

You could trigger an avalanche on steep slopes where cohesive slabs of snow sit above weaker snow. The most dangerous slopes are at upper elevations and face northwest to north to northeast. Here, winds drifted recent snowfall into deeper, connected slabs and avalanches may be larger.

Look for and avoid trigger points, like shallow spots in the snowpack near rock outcroppings, below cliff bands, or on steep convex rolls. If you observe cracking or collapsing, reevaluate your plan and move to a lower angle or lower elevation slope. You can reduce your risk of triggering an avalanche by sticking to slopes less than about 35 degrees in steepness.