Northern San Juan

You can trigger an avalanche on upper-elevation slopes facing northwest through northeast to southeast where southwest winds have drifted storm snow into soft, cohesive slabs. Use caution if you find about ten inches or more of wind-drifted snow, and retreat to more wind-sheltered areas if you see cracking in the surface snow. At lower elevations, you can still find weak layers lurking beneath stiffer layers within the upper 3 feet of the snowpack, so evaluate the snow where you want to recreate before committing to steeper slopes. You can always avoid avalanches by sticking to slopes less than about thirty degrees without steep terrain above.