Grand Mesa

You can easily trigger a dangerous avalanche that breaks on weak snow buried about three feet below the snow surface. You can trigger these avalanches from below a slope or from long distances away. If you see shooting cracks and experience collapses as you travel through the backcountry, this is the snowpack warning you of the dangerous avalanche conditions. Avoid traveling on or underneath slopes steeper than about 30 degrees that face northwest to northeast through east to reduce your chances of being caught in an avalanche.