Vail & Summit County

You can easily trigger an avalanche on steep, recently drifted slopes at upper elevations. Avoid steep slopes with more than about 8 inches of drifted snow. Cracking in the surface snow is a sign that you can trigger a slide. These avalanches could break near the surface or step down to weak layers 2 to 3 feet deep. In areas with a shallower snowpack or on slopes already avalanched this year, avalanches could step down to the ground.

Multiple people can ride a slope before someone finds a shallow, weak point and triggers a deeper slide. The new snow makes these areas harder to identify, but avoid the edges of terrain features or areas with variable snow cover and exposed obstacles. Rocky, steep, shady slopes are the most likely places to trigger a deeper avalanche. You can find safer travel on low-angled slopes and those facing a southerly direction with a stout crust.