Lawinenlagebericht

Low avalanche danger exists at all elevations. Small, shallow wind slabs may be encountered in terrain above 7000'. Watch for clues that indicate wind-affected snow (fresh drifts, etching of the snow surface, slabby/hollow feeling) and stay off steep slopes that may harbor wind slabs. Loose, dry snow avalanches may be found in steep, north-facing, upper elevation terrain. These sluffs will be small, but require terrain management to avoid being swept over rocks, cliffs, and other terrain trap features.

Today's advisory is sponsored by Mile High Powersports in McCall. Thank you for supporting the Payette Avalanche Center.

2022 has been the year of the little storms that (barely) could. Since January 6th, we have rarely seen a storm accumulate more than 2-4" at a time. These small storms have kept most of the avalanche concerns isolated to the surface and upper portion of the snowpack. Today's avalanche forecast is no different. Today, the avalanche hazard is LOW.  We might be sounding like a broken record, but the song remains the same:

• Wind Slab: Small wind slabs may be found in terrain above 7000 feet. Yesterday, southwest winds were transporting the light snow on the surface into leeward terrain at ridgetops. Down off the ridges, east winds were blowing and drifting snow as well. Be on the lookout for these small wind slabs in upper elevation terrain and pay attention to the snow surface to indicate wind-affected snow. If you feel the snow underfoot or under your sled get a stiff and hollow feeling, be aware that you have found wind slabs. Choose terrain features where this wind-affected snow does not exist.
• Dry Loose: Cold, low-density snow exists at the surface. This snow is easily transported by the wind (mentioned above), and this dry snow moves easily in steeper terrain. Also known as sluff, these small, loose snow avalanches can be managed properly. However, if not managed properly, loose snow avalanches can strain you over rocks, cliffs, into trees, or other terrain traps. Choose terrain that allows you to manage these avalanche problems. 

Yesterday, in our snowpit we found the Valentine's Day crust and a layer of buried surface hoar. We had compression failures and propagation results on both of these layers (video here). Moving into this week, these buried weak layers are something to keep in mind. The 02/14 crust is fairly widespread throughout our advisory area, the layer of buried surface hoar is not and makes this problem difficult to forecast. The best thing you can do is look for it everywhere and try to find where it isn't. Our advisory area is forecasted to be impacted by several storms this week, beginning today. Expect the avalanche hazard to change as the weather changes. 

****One of our sponsors, OnXBackcountry has partnered with the Payette Avalanche Center. For each membership purchased with promo codePAYETTE20 for onX Backcountry or PAYETTESLEDS20 for onX Offroad you get a 20% discount. Plus, a 20% donation goes back to the Payette Avalanche Center upon purchase, so you’ll be directly supporting avalanche forecasts. 

Go to our Observations Page to see what others are seeing...We are always looking for more Information from snowmobilers and skiers on snow and weather conditions. These observations help our forecasts and they help other users in and outside of the community. It can be quick with or without a photo…Use the Observations link at the top of the page to submit your observations. 

Sledders and Snowbikers, please be aware that there are some areas of the Payette National Forest that are closed to motorized use, some of these closures are to protect wildlife and some are to protect other recreators.  If you are using Gaia or OnX you can download a layer called snowmobile trails that shows groomed routes and motorized closures.  Check out the Winter Travel Map below for details.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd891395.pdf