Northern San Juan

You can trigger a dangerous avalanche on west, north, and east-facing slopes at all elevations where recent storm snow has settled into a cohesive slab above weak layers buried two to four feet deep. You can trigger slides from the bottom of slopes, and avalanches which you do trigger could break near the ground, so give steep terrain above you a wide buffer. Bright sun and rapidly warming temperatures will create increasing avalanche danger from loose, wet avalanches on sunny slopes as the day progresses. Look for and avoid areas which may shed snow above you, such as snow covered cliff bands, and plan to be off sunny and lower-elevation slopes before afternoon. Roller balls and wet sloppy surface conditions indicate avalanche danger is rising- retreat if you see these warning signs. Slopes less than about 30 degrees without steep slopes above offer safer options.