Gunnison

An Avalanche Watch is in effect for the west Elk Mountains, including the Anthracite Range, Ragged Range, and Ruby Range. Heavy snowfall and strong westerly winds will cause avalanche danger to increase. Expect very dangerous avalanche conditions, and High (Level 4 of 5) danger to develop by Tuesday morning and last into Wednesday. Travel in backcountry avalanche terrain is not recommended during periods of High danger.

For Monday, accumulating snow is overloading fragile snow near the ground. You can easily trigger a large and dangerous avalanche that breaks wider and runs further than you might expect. You can trigger these avalanches from below a slope or from a distance.

Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making are essential for safe travel in the backcountry. To reduce your chances of triggering an avalanche stick to sunny, southerly-facing slopes that lack a weak layer at the bottom of the snowpack or stick to slopes less than about 30 degrees steep with no steep slopes overhead.