Gunnison

You can easily trigger a large and deadly avalanche. At lower elevations, generally below 10,000 feet, it will be easier to trigger avalanches and they will be smaller but still can grow large enough to bury you. At higher elevations, near and above treeline, you likely won't see any signs of instability such as shooting cracks or collapses before triggering an unsurvivable avalanche. You can trigger them from hundreds of feet away and they will break wider and run farther than you anticipate. Tracks on a slope and slopes that avalanched earlier this season do not mean that slope is safe. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making are essential to travel in the backcountry and make it back home safely. You can find safer travel options by avoiding travel on and underneath slopes steeper than about 30 degrees that could produce an avalanche large enough to bury you.