Southern San Juan

Stiff, cohesive slabs of snow make it more difficult to impact weak layers and trigger a large avalanche. However, if you find the shallow spot on a slope steeper than about 35 degrees, you could trigger a wide-breaking avalanche that will be a challenge to escape. Places, where the snowpack is less than around three feet deep below cliffs, close to rock outcrops, and near ridgelines, increase your chances of getting into trouble. Be aware of the terrain around you, and don’t get lulled into a false sense of safety if signs of unstable snow, like shooting cracks or audible collapses, are absent.

Day-over-day warming may produce loose slides on southerly-facing slopes. If you trigger a small avalanche in the warming surface snow and it gains mass as it travels downhill, there is the potential to trigger a larger, more dangerous dry snow avalanche that breaks near the ground.