Gunnison

You can trigger avalanches in the recently wind-drifted snow on easterly-facing slopes. These avalanches will be larger and more dangerous on northeast, east, and southeast-facing slopes where wind-drifted snow rests over buried weak layers one to two feet deep. Be especially careful on open easterly-facing slopes just below ridgelines.

In northerly, westerly, and wind-sheltered areas, you can trigger avalanches in softer surface snow that break a couple of feet deep on a weak layer that was buried in early February. This is less likely in the deeper areas of the Ragged and West Elk Mountains, but keep this in mind as you select slopes to travel on. Assess all slopes steeper than about 30 degrees carefully before you ride or stick to lower-angle terrain.