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.
Sat, Feb 23, 2019 at 7:06 AM | Today | Tomorrow | |||
| Considerable (3) Dangerous avalanche conditions. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. | Considerable (3) Dangerous avalanche conditions. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. | ||||
| Considerable (3) Dangerous avalanche conditions. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. | Considerable (3) Dangerous avalanche conditions. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. | ||||
| Considerable (3) Dangerous avalanche conditions. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. | Considerable (3) Dangerous avalanche conditions. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. | ||||
Danger Scale
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Summary
Plentiful snow recent, and now winds. You can trigger avalanches within and just below all the recent storm snow. Avalanches will be large and more dangerous in drifted ares below ridgelines or in cross loaded gullies. Those will be large enough to bury or kill you. Those avalanches can also step down to deeper weak layers, resulting in an even larger and even more dangerous slide. The step down scenario is most likely in areas where the snowpack was shallower before this recent storm. That includes avalanche paths that slid earlier in the season, or the western portion of the South San Juan zone, or areas north and east of Wolf Creek Pass.
 | N S E W NW NE SE SW Above Treeline Near Treeline Below Treeline | Certain Very Likely Likely Possible Unlikely | Historic Very Large Large Small |
| Avalanche Character | Aspect/Elevation | Likelihood | Size |
What You Need to Know About These Avalanches
Storm Slab avalanches release naturally during snow storms and can be triggered for a few days after a storm. They often release at or below the trigger point. They exist throughout the terrain. Avoid them by waiting for the storm snow to stabilize.
 | N S E W NW NE SE SW Above Treeline Near Treeline Below Treeline | Certain Very Likely Likely Possible Unlikely | Historic Very Large Large Small |
| Avalanche Character | Aspect/Elevation | Likelihood | Size |
What You Need to Know About These Avalanches
Persistent Slab avalanches can be triggered days to weeks after the last storm. They often propagate across and beyond terrain features that would otherwise confine Wind and Storm Slab avalanches. In some cases they can be triggered remotely, from low-angle terrain or adjacent slopes. Give yourself a wide safety buffer to address the uncertainty.
| Saturday Night | Sunday | Sunday Night | |
| Temperature (ºF) | 0 to 5 | 20 to 25 | 5 to 10 |
| Wind Speed (mph) | 10 to 20 | 5 to 15 | 5 to 15 |
| Wind Direction | SW | SW | W |
| Sky Cover | Mostly Clear | Mostly Cloudy | Mostly Clear |
| Snow (in) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Archived Forecasts
- Select Forecast: Valid
You can also listen to avalanche forecast recordings from CAIC using the player in the sidebar to the right.