Steamboat & Flat Tops

You can easily trigger an avalanche on north through east to southeast-facing slopes at upper elevations. The wind is drifted snow onto steep slopes below ridgelines, on the sides of gullies, or steep convex rollovers. Drifted snow can be identified by its smooth rounded appearance. If you see recent avalanches, shooting cracks in the new snow, or the snow surface becomes dense or hollow, it is time to move to wind-sheltered slopes less than about 30 degrees.