Northern San Juan

The most dangerous areas are wind-loaded slopes above the treeline. Strong northerly winds Thursday easily drifted the new snow into thicker slabs on slopes that face northeast through east to south. Avoid areas below ridgetops and in cross-loaded gullies with a lens-shaped snow surface or where the snow feels hard underfoot. Pay attention to the direction a slope faces and choose an alternative route if you see cracking in the snow. If you trigger a slide near the surface, there is an outside chance it could step down into deeper weak snow layers resulting in a larger, more dangerous avalanche.