Steamboat & Flat Tops

If you are traveling near and above treeline, go around drifts of snow that you find below ridges on north and northeast-facing slopes. You can trigger small avalanches in these drifts of snow. Although these avalanches will be relatively harmless, they can knock you off your feet and push you over thinly covered rocks and downed trees. If you see cracking in the new snow or hear audible collapses, these are signs of unstable snow and an indication to avoid steep, drifted slopes.