Grand Mesa

The most dangerous slopes on the Grand and Battlement Mesas are wind-drifted slopes on the lee side of a ridgeline, below cornices, and in wind-loaded gullies where the snow surface has a smooth, rounded appearance and a hard, hollow feel. If you trigger an avalanche here, it could step down into weak snow buried two to four feet deep and grow much larger than you anticipated. Avoid traveling on steep, wind-loaded slopes and convex rollovers or rocky, uneven terrain to reduce your chances of triggering an avalanche.