Southern San Juan

New snow and wind formed dangerous, cohesive slabs of snow at upper elevations. Slopes where you find more than about 10 inches of new snow may produce larger slides. Avalanches near the surface could trigger a more dangerous slide that breaks on weak layers four to five feet below the surface. Identify and avoid areas with evidence of drifting beneath ridgelines and cornices, or on steep sidewalls of gullies like lens-shaped pillows of snow or a hard, sculpted snow surface. If you see cracking in the snow, stick to slopes less than about 30 degrees without steeper terrain directly overhead.