Sangre de Cristo

Recent snowfall makes it easier to find slopes that could produce avalanches, especially where winds have drifted recent snowfall into slabs over weak snow on the shady side of the compass. But still, a generally shallow, wind-hammered alpine makes avalanches small and limited to areas with previous snow coverage.

Assess steep slopes with more than about 8 inches of wind-drifted snow for signs of instability before committing to larger terrain.