Grand Mesa

Most slopes are safe due to the lack of consistent snow cover. Look for deeper, drifted areas on high-elevation, north- and northeast-facing slopes. You can identify these areas by looking for slopes where you don't see any rocks sticking up above he snow surface. Generally, snow cover or snow drifts need to be at least 10 inches deep before you should be concerned. If you trigger an avalanche in one of these areas, it won't be very big.