Steamboat & Flat Tops

You can trigger a dangerous avalanche on steep slopes, from the base of slopes, or from a distance. Slopes with drifted pillows of snow will be the most dangerous, and if you trigger an avalanche in the surface snow, it will likely step down to deeper buried weak layers. Obvious signs of instability, such as natural avalanches, cracking, or collapsing, may be absent before you trigger an avalanche. You can find safer riding on slopes less than about 30 degrees. South and southwest-facing slopes are generally safer, as they have no buried weak layer, but watch for cracking and collapsing in small pockets where the wind has drifted snow.