Aspen

Be careful around areas of wind-drifted snow near and above treeline. These can look like rounded pillows or sharp drifts or feel like stiff, hollow-sounding slopes. These areas could have two overlapping avalanche issues. One is related to a weak layer in the middle or bottom of the snowpack. The other is related to recently drifted snow. These issues' presence, interaction, and sensitivity can vary from slope to slope or as the loading patterns change across a slope. You could trigger avalanches from a distance, and they might break wider than you expect. An avalanche triggered in the surface snow could step down to the ground.

You can find safer travel on low-angle slopes or slopes sheltered from the wind at lower elevations. Loose avalanches may become an issue in the upcoming days as the snowpack loses strength and cohesion.