Gunnison

Things may seem to be quiet across the Elk and West Elk Mountains with less obvious signs of instability such as cracking or collapsing, but dangerous avalanche conditions exist. You can easily trigger a large and destructive avalanche on many slopes and you can trigger them from a distance, so be aware of steep slopes above you and other parties nearby. You can move to south-facing terrain at lower elevations to reduce your chances of triggering a large slab avalanche but then you need to manage loose avalanches in the wet snow once the sun warms up the snow surface. The easiest way to reduce your chances of being caught and killed in an avalanche this weekend is to stick to low-angle slopes without steep slopes overhead when traveling on aspects of concern.

On February 20, a backcountry snowboarder was caught and killed in an avalanche on a terrain feature locally known as The Nose in the Middle Fork of Mineral Creek drainage, west of the town of Silverton. The avalanche occurred near treeline on a northeast-facing slope in the San Juan Mountains. You can read the preliminary accident report here.