Front Range

A big increase in winds on Sunday and a lot of snow available for transport will keep avalanche conditions dangerous on wind-loaded slopes Monday. Strong westerly winds drifted snow into thick slabs on easterly-facing slopes. Slopes that sit directly below ridgetop will be the most dangerous but also pay attention to cross-loaded terrain features. Avoid steep slopes if you see shooting cracks in the snow or hear audible collapses.

On February 20 and 22, backcountry snowboarders were caught and killed in avalanches in separate incidents. One west of the town of Silverton on a terrain feature locally known as The Nose. The other was near the summit of Berthoud Pass in a terrain feature locally known as The Fingers. In both fatal accidents, the avalanches broke several feet deep and spread wide across multiple terrain features. You can read the preliminary accident reports here andhere.