Grand Mesa

A Special Avalanche Advisory is in effect for the Grand Mesa and will run through Sunday afternoon. Recent storm snow rests on a weak, fragile snowpack. Dangerous avalanche conditions extend from mountain tops to valley floors. You can trigger a large, dangerous avalanche on many steep slopes including road cuts, river banks, and wind-sheltered or treed terrain at lower elevations. Safe backcountry travel this weekend requires that you recognize and avoid slopes capable of producing a large avalanche.

You can easily trigger a dangerous avalanche on most slopes steeper than around 30 degrees and you can trigger them from below a slope or from a distance. Avoid traveling directly under steep slope cuts along the sides of trails and avoid traveling on steep, planar slopes with terrain traps such as a cliff or creek below you.