Lawinenlagebericht

Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Wed
Hochgebirge
5 · Sehr gross
Waldgrenze
5 · Sehr gross
Unterhalb
5 · Sehr gross
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Kernpunkte

Stay far away from, and out from beneath, steep slopes. Places that are normally safe may not be safe. Very large natural avalanches will occur. Avalanches will be easy to trigger remotely—from flat terrain below, above, and to the sides of steep slopes. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Certain
    Größe
    1.5–3

    Most steep slopes are near or already reached their tipping point. We expect the mountains to come unglued tonight. Large, destructive avalanches will release naturally in areas where they rarely occur. Avalanche crowns could pull into "normally safe" 25-30 degree terrain. 

    The mountains received 2.5-4+ inches of water (2-4 feet of snowfall) in the past 4 days, and we're looking at another 1-2.5 inches of water (10-30 inches of snowfall) by tomorrow morning.  Precipitation rates—and the avalanche danger—are expected to peak tonight into Wednesday morning, while winds blow at moderate to strong speeds and temperatues remain near or just below freezing.

    The intense multi-day storm is overwhelming very weak snow that formed during the month long drought, including surface hoar, facets, and facet + crust combinations. These layers exist on many slopes, the weakest of which are found at middle and low elevations. Before the weak layer was buried, it appeared to be one of the worst we've seen in recent years. 

    The travel advice is simple: stay far away from steep slopes and the areas beneath them.  

    (2/2/2025) Debris from a large natural avalanche in the Warm Springs Ck drainage near Frenchman Bend. 

Avalanche Discussion

There is a fair amount of variability in snowfall amounts and avalanche danger in this zone. While conditions are very dangerous (HIGH danger) throughout the vast majority of the zone, the intense snowfall expected in the Pioneer and Boulder Mtns tonight is driving the EXTREME danger. You don't want to be outside in the mountains after dark today.

The mountains near Galena Summit—where the highest amount of recreation takes place—have received less snowfall than other parts of the zone. That said, don't be lulled into a false sense of security if you don't see huge natural avalanches where you are playing; it doesn't take a huge avalanche to injure or kill a skier or snowmobiler. The many natural and plow-triggered slides along HWY75 near Galena Summit (view Observation) are great examples of how overloaded and touchy the snowpack is.

The avalanche equation remains simple: exceptional weak layer + exceptional wet, warm, windy storm = weird and wild avalanche conditions.  If you're out playing in the hills, carefully plan your day to stay off of, out from below, and far away from steep slopes.  

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