Vail & Summit County

You could trigger an avalanche on northerly through east-facing slopes at upper elevations in the Gore Range. Westerly winds drifted snow onto easterly-facing slopes, and you can trigger an avalanche in the new snow; these are expected to be small, but they could knock you down and drag you through terrain traps. The fresh snow fell on a melt-freeze crust on southerly-facing slopes, making triggering an avalanche easier. A smaller surface avalanche may gain enough mass to trigger a deeper, more dangerous avalanche, and you cannot rule out triggering one of these slides from a shallower portion of the slope. Look for and avoid areas with smooth lens-shaped pillows of snow directly below ridgelines, on the sides of gullies, or steep rollovers. Wind-sheltered slopes offer safe travel options.