Vail & Summit County

You can easily trigger an avalanche in drifted snow at upper elevations tomorrow. Heavy snow and intense wind will create dangerous avalanche conditions overnight. Slopes lee to west and northwest winds will be the most dangerous. Look for and avoid steep, drifted slopes below ridges, in gullies, and behind convex rollovers. Cracking in the new snow is a sign of instability and an indication you should avoid steep slopes.

Although they're harder to trigger, an avalanche might break deeper into the snowpack. If you find the wrong spot on a slope, you can trigger a large, wide, and potentially deadly avalanche. Multiple people can ride a slope before one of these slides occurs. Paths that already slid this season are more likely to slide again. Look for slopes less than about 30 degrees that are not connected to steeper slopes above as safer options.