Northern San Juan

New snow and strong winds are adding stress to an extremely weak and fragile snowpack. You can trigger a dangerous avalanches where you find more than about eight inches of recent snow on top of older, weaker snow. Avalanches can be triggered from a distance and may break wider than you anticipate. Watch for signs of drifting like smooth, lens-shaped pillows of snow and fresh cornice growth. Move to wind-sheltered, low-angle slopes if you see shooting cracks or hear audible collapses. Give yourself a wide buffer around steep slopes and avoid traveling above concave, dish-like terrain features or gullies.

Snow coverage below treeline is shallower, but the snowpack is just as weak. Even a small, more isolated avalanche could knock you over and send you for a rough ride through the trees.