The backcountry steeps of the South San Juan Mountains surrounding Durango are ideal for avalanches. Anyone heading into the backcountry around Durango should understand the risks, and be well educated in Avalanche safety. You should have the proper gear and training to not only survive an avalanche, but hopefully avoid getting caught in an avalanche in the first place.
If you don’t fall into the ‘ready’ category, you can still enjoy our local ski resorts, sledding hills or some gentle cross country skiing or snowshoeing.
The following Durango Avalanche report is published daily by the awesome folks at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center where you can find a full report for Southern Colorado, as well as the other avalanche zones of Colorado.
Thu, Apr 15, 2021 at 7:07 AM | Thursday | Friday | |||
| Low (1) Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. | Low (1) Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. | ||||
| Low (1) Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. | Low (1) Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. | ||||
| Low (1) Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. | Low (1) Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. | ||||
Danger Scale
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Summary
Most slopes are safe to ride. Keep an eye out for shallow, soft slabs of wind-deposited snow on north, northeast, and east-facing slopes in the alpine. Newly formed slabs, identified by their smooth, rounded appearance will be deeper below ridges, at the top of steep chutes, or in cross-loaded terrain features. Triggering even a small slide can be perilous if you get knocked over and taken for a ride in consequential or extreme terrain.
The snowpack continues to melt fast below treeline and mainly consist of wet, unconsolidated mush. Use caution if the snowpack feels unsupportable and avoid steeper slopes where you sink deeper than about 8 inches into wet, sloppy snow. Cornices continue to droop with daytime warming, so give them extra room while traveling along ridgetops. They can break off unexpectedly and this carries its own hazard.
| Thursday | Thursday Night | Friday | |
| Temperature (ºF) | 26 to 31 | 14 to 19 | 25 to 30 |
| Wind Speed (mph) | 4 to 14 | 4 to 14 | 3 to 13 |
| Wind Direction | SW | E | W |
| Sky Cover | Mostly Cloudy | Mostly Cloudy | Overcast |
| Snow (in) | 0 | 0 to 1 | 4 to 7 |
Archived Forecasts
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