Southern San Juan

The most dangerous slopes to trigger a wet snow avalanche face east through south to west. Avoid steeper slopes where you sink past your shins into wet, cohesionless snow. Loose wet slides can gouge deeper while traveling down the slope, and may trigger a larger, more destructive slab avalanche. Prolonged, warm weather has expanded surface wetting to even northerly-facing slopes near and below treeline, increasing the wet snow hazard on shadier slopes. Consider the terrain below you, where a small avalanche could have big consequences.

To help reduce your wet snow avalanche hazard, start early and end early. A large trigger like a falling cornice might provoke an avalanche that breaks in weak snow layers three to four feet deep. The exact timing when a cornice breaks is unpredictable, so avoid traveling beneath them and give a wide buffer above – they can break further back onto flatter terrain than you anticipate. High-elevation, northerly-facing slopes offer safer travel options.