Vail & Summit County

Slopes with thick drifts of snow are the most dangerous. You can trigger an avalanche in drifted surface snow that steps down to weak layers close to the ground. Avoid rounded, lens-shaped pillows of firm snow. Especially where you see them on steep slopes directly below ridges and in gullies. You will not get any warning signs of a deeper avalanche, and multiple people could take a run before it slides. You can reduce your chances of triggering a deeper slide by traveling on consistently angled slopes without many trigger points. You can find safer riding on slopes less than about 30 degrees and in the trees sheltered from the wind.

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