As spring creeps into the Colorado High Country, outdoor experts are reminding recreationalists that while the sunshine and warmer weather may be enticing, hazards continue to exist in the backcountry.

Springtime in Colorado is often marked by lessening avalanche danger and warm afternoons full of sunshine. But Summit County Rescue Group president Benjamin Butler said the mix of spring and winter conditions this time of year can catch outdoor enthusiasts unprepared, especially at higher elevations.

“The best piece of advice we can give is get an early start in the day whenever you plan to hike on snow,” Butler said. “Because as soon as snow starts to heat up, it’s going to lose its ability to hold weight, and that’s when we see people postholing.”

Postholing is when hikers sink into the snow past their knees to the point where it can become hard to move, he said.

In addition to getting to the trailhead early, backcountry travelers should pay attention to how cold it got overnight, Butler said. If temperatures don’t drop below freezing overnight, the snowpack may not refreeze or may not freeze all the way through and could warm much quicker the next day, he said.

“If snow didn’t freeze overnight at 10,000, 11,000, 12,000, 13,000 feet, that might be a good indicator that people come up with another plan,” Butler said. “Go mountain biking in Buena Vista. Go for a hike at the Frisco peninsula trails when those dry out.”

Anyone headed into the Colorado backcountry should always carry the 10 essentials, Butler said. He recommended traveling with snowshoes or skis this time of year since that equipment can help keep people from sinking as deep into the snow as it softens.

Weather conditions can change quickly any time of year in the High Country, but this time of year people should be wary of getting lured by “fool’s spring” and should always carry extra warm layers, he said.

Butler also noted that as long as there is snow on the ground, there is also a chance for avalanches. Those hiking on trails should be aware of what is above them, and anyone moving through avalanche terrain should carry a transceiver, probe and shovel, he said.

Colorado Avalanche Information Center Director Ethan Greene said that while the avalanche danger will often drop in the spring, that doesn’t mean that avalanches don’t pose a threat. This time of year, Greene said, the persistent slab avalanches, which are common in the state through the winter, are becoming less likely as the warm weather helps consolidate the snowpack.

But in the springtime, conditions for wet avalanches become more common due to the amount of meltwater that can erode the bonds in the snowpack, Greene said. There are two main types of wet avalanches, wet slab avalanches and loose wet avalanches, he said.

Wet slab avalanches happen when a weak layer in the snowpack becomes moist, the wet snow loses strength and the snow above fails, creating an avalanche. Loose wet avalanches, which are more common than wet slab avalanches, form in new snow or old surface snow that is warming. As the water content in the snow increases, the snow will become unconsolidated and entrain more snow as it moves down hill, resulting in a loose wet avalanche.

While loose wet avalanches tend to be smaller and less dangerous, the wet snow can be very heavy, so the wet loose slides can still kill or injure a person, especially if it carries someone over a cliff or into a terrain trap like a gully, Greene said.

“They contain a lot of mass,” Greene said. “So it’s easy to get stuck in loose wet avalanches, and they can be pretty dangerous in that regard, which is something we sometimes see in the spring.”

If backcountry travelers start noticing “roller balls” of snow as the temperatures warm in the spring, that is a good sign that the likelihood of a loose wet avalanche is increasing, Greene said. When people start sinking past the tops of their boots, they should think about getting back to the trailhead or moving to shaded snow that hasn’t yet softened, he said.

Conditions in the High Country change quickly, so backcountry travelers need to be prepared for whatever type of avalanche problems they might encounter, Greene added. The snowstorm expected this weekend, for example, will create conditions for dry snow avalanches and new snow instabilities. It could soon be followed by warm weather that could result in wet avalanches, he said.

At higher elevations this weekend, avalanche danger will rise to considerable, Level 3 of a five-point scale, in the Front Range and moderate, Level 2 of a five-point scale, across the rest of the state due to the forecasted snowfall, according to the state avalanche agency.

“Check the forecast because things change and springtime can be a little tricky for people,” Greene said. “We do move between avalanche problems very quickly, and this weekend is going to be a good example of that.”