Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Avalanches are unlikely, and most slopes are safe.  Be on the lookout for areas where hard wind-drifts overlie weak, sugary snow. 

Brace yourself, here come some large numbers: In the month of February, this zone picked up an average of 1-4" of snow. Total. Remote weather stations in this zone recorded just 4-14% of normal precipitation, the lowest values observed since these stations were established 40 years ago. Last February the record was set for the most snow recorded at Baldy when a whopping 135" of snow fell. This year, if we include the big storm near Thanksgiving, the total for the whole year thus far is 90". This extended drought has been paired with consistently below-average temperatures, allowing for most of the snowpack to be reduced to a very weak stack of sugary facets. Of course, that's assuming you are on a slope that still has snow on it. Many slopes that directly face the sun are entirely free of snow.

It has been nearly a month since the last significant avalanche took place in this zone—you know it's been a slow year when we are still talking about a slide from a month ago. On February 6th, ski patrollers at Bald Mountain intentionally triggered this avalanche on a heavily wind-loaded slope that harbored weak, sugary, faceted snow in the lower part of the snowpack (see photo). If I were looking to trigger an avalanche in this zone today, this would be the same combination that I'd be looking for. Be alert to this possibility if you find yourself traveling on a hard wind slab. The Dollarhide Summit area, near the northern boundary of this zone, has fared a little better than the Soldiers and Wood River Valley, and the snowpack there is more similar to the Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns zone. 

CONTINUE TO USE NORMAL CAUTIONThe potential for avalanches only truly goes to zero once the entire snowpack has melted. In light of that, continue to exercise caution when traveling in the backcountry. What does normal caution look like?

• Make a solid plan before a day in the backcountry. A plan helps you anticipate hazards (of which avalanches are only one), identify options for the day, and ensure everyone is prepared for an emergency.
• Perform a trailhead gear check. A proper beacon check ensures everyone's transceiver can send and receive a signal. Maybe you could use a brush-up on your beacon skills? Don't forget about the Baker Creek beacon park. Is everyone's radio working and on the right channel? Airbags armed and in working order?
• Maintain situational awareness. Don't let your guard down even when the snowpack is generally stable. If you see a wind-loaded slope or another indicator of potential instability, don't assume it's safe just because the danger is Low. Identify and avoid other hazards such as large cornices. 
• Communicate with your partners. As you travel through the mountains talk with your partners. Are you seeing what you were expecting to see when you made your plan in the morning or are conditions different than you thought that they would be? Do you need to adjust your plan accordingly?
• Continue to use safe travel practices. It's easy to get sloppy with your travel practices during periods of stability. Continue to minimize your group's exposure to potential avalanche hazards, ideally traveling one at a time through steep terrain.
• Minimize your exposure to hazards. The likelihood of encountering any sort of problem in life increases when you spend more time exposed to that hazard. You are more likely to be involved in a car accident if you drive every day of the year than you are if you only drive once a week. The same is true in the backcountry. 

LOW DANGER AS A LEARNING OPPORTUNITYWhen the avalanche danger is low we are able to access a lot of terrain that is off-limits during periods of elevated avalanche danger. And while we're all eager for more snow to fall (guilty), we can use this period of low danger as a learning opportunity. There are processes taking place in the snowpack that we can directly observe if we take the time to look for them. Here is a homework assignment for you: when you're out in the mountains today I'd like you to mentally map the distribution of surface conditions you are finding. There are three obvious things to look for:

1. Wind Slabs: The dusting of snow that fell this weekend provided some fresh ammunition for the winds. Look for where the wind moved this snow from and where it moved it to. Where are these drifts the thickest? If you are finding a drift that is 6" thick when only 1" of snow fell, what does that tell you? Would you be surprised to find drifts several feet thick after a foot of snow falls? Make mental notes of these things and use them to help you manage the next wind slab problem that you are faced with.
2. Crusts: Significant amounts of direct sun in the past weeks have altered the snow surface significantly. When you are traveling on a slope that directly faces the sun, pay attention to the crusts that you find. Is it strong enough to hold you up ("supportable") or are you sometimes walking on top of it and sometimes falling through it ("breakable")? What affect does the slope angle have on this crust? Is it more supportable on steep slopes or on shallow slopes? What about on the eastern and western margins of the compass? Are the crusts thicker or thinner here? You can use your mental crust map to help you choose slopes where the riding quality is still good, even weeks after the last snowfall. 
3. Facets: As you travel on slopes on the north half of the compass, you'll find that sun crusts disappear. What is the snow surface like in those areas? Does it feel strong (easy to skin through, make a snowball out of, etc.) or does it feel weak (sugary grains that you slip and slide on when you are skinning and that you can't make a snowball out of)? Pick up some of the surface snow and rub it between your fingers when you have your gloves on. Does it have a gritty, sandy feeling to it? Compare this to the skiff of fresh snow that fell this weekend. How does it feel underneath your sled or bike? Are you riding on top of the snow (strong) or when you goose the throttle does the tail end of your machine drop to the ground (weak)? Facets, particularly when paired with crusts, make for "great" weak layers. 

When it snows again think about the mental map that you just created. In conjunction with the avalanche forecast, you can use your map to help you seek out areas where the snow stability and riding conditions are at their best.