Gunnison

The most dangerous areas, where you can trigger a slab avalanche, are wind-loaded slopes facing north through east. If you trigger an avalanche here, it may travel farther than you expect gaining mass and momentum as it gouges into older, weak snow. Soft snow where your feet, skis, or machine sink deep indicates a wind-sheltered slope, where you are unlikely to trigger a slab avalanche. However, on wind-sheltered slopes, you want to be cautious of small loose avalanches if you are traveling on slopes steeper than around 40 degrees. Though small, they can still knock you over and drag you through trees or rocks.