Southern San Juan

The most dangerous slopes are where you find one to two feet of wind drifted snow. Strong westerly winds have built deeper slabs of snow on slopes that face north through east to south. Triggering an avalanche in the new snow can grow large enough to bury, injure, or kill you. A slide near the surface could break into weak snow layers three to four feet deep on slopes facing west through north to east making a more dangerous slide. Avoid areas beneath ridgelines and gullies where you see evidence of drifting such as fresh cornices, rounded pillows of snow, or a hard, sculpted snow surface. If you experience cracking in the snow or collapsing, retreat to slopes less than about 30 degrees that are sheltered from the wind and without steeper terrain directly overhead.