Vail & Summit County

Avalanche conditions are generally safe, but keep two things in mind. Watch for small, isolated areas of wind-drifted snow on north through east to southeast-facing slopes in the alpine. You're most likely to find problematic drifts on very steep slopes below corniced ridges or inside chutes or couloirs. You're more likely to trigger a slide in areas that got more than about 4 inches of snow on Monday.

Secondly, recent snow resting above hard crusts can shed off steep, sun-exposed slopes. Be aware of your surroundings and remember that small avalanches can be problematic in extreme terrain. It doesn't take a large avalanche to take you off your feet. Riding slopes above cliffs, or steep and rocky chutes and couloirs, can amplify the consequences of a small slide.

Snowfall Wednesday night into Thursday will raise the avalanche danger in the Front Range, Tenmile Range, and Gore Range.