Sawatch

A Special Avalanche Advisory is in effect from Friday evening through Sunday for the mountains around Monarch Pass. A winter storm will dramatically change conditions, making it easy for backcountry travelers to trigger dangerous avalanches this weekend.

Around a foot of new snow fell on very weak snow surfaces, creating dangerous avalanche conditions. You can easily trigger an avalanche on most steep slopes where you find about a foot or more of new snow. The most dangerous slopes will be where winds drift additional snow creating thicker slabs and larger avalanches. Seek wind-sheltered terrain at lower elevations for safer travel options.