Northern San Juan

You can trigger an avalanche where you find wind-drifted snow forming a cohesive slab over weak snow at upper elevations. Look for and avoid steep slopes that have a lens-shaped or pillowy-looking surface. Cracking or collapsing in the drifted snow is a sign to move to lower-angled slopes sheltered from the wind.

Warm temperatures increase the potential for wet avalanches at all elevations. If you begin sinking into rapidly warming snow, move to a shady slope. Watch for overhead hazards beneath steep rocky terrain, as wet avalanches can often originate from rocks and gain mass as they move downhill.

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 and here.