Grand Mesa

The warm weather is taking its toll on the snowpack and Wednesday will be the peak of wet instability. You can easily trigger wet avalanches, some gouging deeply into the snowpack, on various aspects and elevations.

To travel safely in the morning hours, you'll need to find a thick and supportable melt-freeze crust at the surface. Exit avalanche terrain before this crust melts, and if you don't find a supportable snowpack at all, change your plans to avoid steep slopes. Sinking past your boot tops into the snowpack means that you are out too late in the day.

Also watch for large, overhanging cornices. They can release naturally tomorrow. You can also break them off from far back on the ridge. Avoid traveling near cornices on ridgetop or slopes underneath them.