Southern San Juan

You can travel safely on most slopes. Watch for loose snow sluffing on steeper, northerly-facing terrain as clear and cold weather results in the surface snow losing cohesion. These small, generally harmless slides can become dangerous if you are pushed into natural obstacles or over a cliff. Above treeline, you may find areas of slopes where hard, wind-drifted snow sits over softer, weaker layers. While triggering a slide near the ground has become less likely recently, steer around areas that look smooth and pillow-like or feel hard underfoot to help reduce your avalanche risk.