Sawatch

You can trigger a large and dangerous avalanche where you find cohesive slabs of snow resting on top of weak snow near the ground. The most dangerous areas are wind-loaded terrain features such as the lee side of a ridge or in a gully or concave slope near the treeline. Here, you can trigger an avalanche from below a slope or from a distance and they can break wider and run farther than you anticipate. Safer travel options exist by sticking to wind-sheltered slopes below the treeline or by avoiding travel on or under slopes steeper than around 30 degrees.