Vail & Summit County

You might trigger an avalanche in drifted snow at upper elevations, but the bigger hazard is triggering a slide that breaks deeper into the snowpack. Slides can break one to two feet deep on weak snow buried at the start of the month. They might also break close to ground, across entire terrain features, and become nearly unsurvivable. If you trigger a slide close to the surface, it can easily trigger an avalanche that breaks on one of the deeper weak layers. Multiple people can ride a slope before one of these slides occurs, and you are unlikely to see any warning signs. Paths that already slid this season are more likely to slide again. Lower elevation, wind-sheltered slopes are safer. To reduce your risk further, look for slopes less than about 30 degrees that are not connected to steeper slopes above.