Steamboat & Flat Tops

You can trigger avalanches in the upper snowpack that break about a foot deep. Smaller slides near the surface can break into more deeply buried weak layers and grow larger. The most problematic areas are open, easterly-facing slopes below ridgelines, gullies, or convex rollovers. You may not see cracking and collapsing before a slide breaks. Wind-sheltered slopes or slopes less than about 30 degrees offer safer options.