Southern San Juan

A potent winter storm is underway, favoring the La Plata Mountains to Wolf Creek Pass. New and wind-drifted snow increases avalanche hazard. You can trigger dangerous avalanches on steep slopes where you observe eight inches or more of fresh or drifted snow—northerly facing slopes near and above treeline where old snow persisted before the storm are the most dangerous. Cracking and collapsing are signs of unstable snow and indicate you are on a slope where old, weak snow sits below you.

Traveling on slopes less than 30 degrees or slopes that did not have snow before this storm is a good way to keep yourself safe from avalanches while the snowpack adjusts to the new load.