Steamboat & Flat Tops

You can trigger avalanches in recently drifted snow that are resting on buried weak layers. Look for and avoid smooth, rounded pillows of snow just below ridgelines and in cross-loaded terrain features like gullies. Easterly-facing slopes are the most dangerous but cross-loaded slopes that face north or south are also suspect. As the slabs above these weak layers continue to grow and connect they could be triggered from below or a distance. Cracking in the new snow and audible collapses are obvious signs of instability, avoid steep slopes where you see these signs. You can find safer travel on lower-angle slopes and in areas sheltered from the wind.