Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

A powerful storm is creating very dangerous avalanche conditions at upper elevations—especially in the Soldier Mountains. Destructive natural and human-triggered avalanches are very likely to release in windy terrain. Avalanches are unlikely where rain and snow fall on bare ground. 

We will begin issuing daily Avalanche Forecasts with Danger Ratings when snow cover allows for reasonable backcountry recreational access. 

Expect very dangerous avalanche conditions if you are willing to put in the work to get to upper elevation terrain. Strong to extreme winds and heavy snow will combine to make very dangerous avalanche conditions in areas affected by the wind. Avalanches involving new storm snow will be dangerous on their own, but they also increase the chance of larger avalanches breaking on persistent weak layers buried near the ground. 

Shady slopes (NW-N-NE-E aspects) near and above 9000 ft on Bald Mountain, in the Soldier Mountains, near Dollarhide Summit, and near the border of the Galena Summit & Eastern Mountains zone are the most dangerous. 

Cracks shooting out from you and "whumpfing" sounds as the snowpack collapses are red flags that indicate unstable conditions.  Avoid steep slopes if you experience these obvious signs of instability. Triggered slides could be wider than you expect. You may be able to trigger avalanches remotely—from gentler terrain above, below, or to the sides of steep slopes.