Vail & Summit County

You can trigger an avalanche on west-to-north through east-facing slopes at all elevations in the Gore Range. Strong winds are drifting new snow onto easterly-facing slopes and you can trigger a small slide in the new snow, though these are expected to be small, these slides can knock you off your feet and drag you through terrain traps. New snow may be loaded onto buried melt-freeze crusts on southerly aspects and may be easier to trigger. A smaller, surface avalanche can trigger a deeper, more dangerous slide and you can not rule out triggering one of these deeper slides from a shallow area on a slope. Watch for and avoid wind-loaded terrain features such as steep slopes below ridge tops and the sides of gullies and couloirs. Shooting cracks in the new snow are a sign to move to terrain less than about 30 degrees.