Northern San Juan

You are most likely to trigger a large and dangerous avalanche on steep, northerly-facing aspects, although the danger extends to westerly and easterly aspects where you find a dense slab resting above weak layers in the middle and bottom of the snowpack. Look for and avoid shallow areas near exposed rocks, on the backside of steep rollovers, and below cliffs where it is easier to impact weak layers near the ground. Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security by the lack of recent avalanche activity and the lack of cracking and collapsing in the snowpack. You can find safer riding on slopes less than 30 degrees without steep slopes overhead or on south-facing slopes