Southern San Juan

Spring weather is melting the snowpack and reducing the likelihood of triggering avalanches on many sunny slopes. Still, you could trigger a slab avalanche where the snowpack is cold and dry on steep, shady slopes in the alpine. Avoid steep, rocky slopes where the snowpack is shallower and trigger points are more abundant. Instead, seek out lower-angled or planar slopes.

Safer travel can also be found on sunny slopes with supportive crusts early in the day, but head for the shade if you start to sink into wet, mushy snow.