Lawinenlagebericht

Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Kernpunkte

You could trigger avalanches where the wind has formed drifts or stiffened the snow surface. The fresh slabs are thickest and most widespread in upper elevation terrain, but you could also encounter them at middle elevations.

In this zone, conditions are most dangerous in the Soldiers, near Dollarhide Summit, and in the upper reaches of the Warm Springs Creek drainage.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–2

    This problem is most pronounced in the Soldier Mountains. The Soldiers picked up 14" of snow in the last 24 hrs. Expect to find fresh drifts and slabs in the Soldier Mtn alpine; human-triggered avalanches are likely. Wind speeds have remained generally light, but this range is notoriously windy. Be prepared to take a step back and steer clear of recent or actively wind-loaded slopes. 

    Outside of the Soldiers, much less recent snow has fallen but sensitive wind slabs remain a concern. Wednesday, snowmobilers triggered small wind slab avalanches in the southern Sawtooths. One rider was caught and carried but was unharmed (report). Similar slides are possible throughout this zone today. 

    Wind slabs formed atop a variety of weak snow layers, including facets on shadier slopes and facets or crusts on sunnier W-SW-S-SE aspects. Because of these weak layers, slabs may be more sensitive to triggering than you might expect. Last night's burst of low-density snowfall may make wind-loaded slopes harder to identify. Look carefully for drifts and pillows of snow below exposed ridgelines, on the sides of gullies or chutes, and near large terrain features. While more prevalent at upper elevations, some slabs may exist on some windier middle and low elevation slopes. Snowpack collapsing or cracks shooting out from your skis or sled are obvious signs of instability. 

    You could trigger a wind slab avalanche today. This slide was triggered yesterday by snowmobilers in the Sawtooth Mtns.

Avalanche Discussion

Steering clear of recently formed drifts and slabs is the most effective way to stay out of trouble. While wind speeds across the region were generally light, they were strong enough to move yesterday's snowfall into a fresh batch of, sensitive slabs. Some of these slabs extend into middle elevation. Wind-drifted snow may not be obvious as signs of recent wind affect are cloaked by shifting wind directions and low-density snow. Today's weather looks fairly benign, but I'd be prepared with a "Plan B" in case you encounter more wind or thicker recent drifts than anticipated. There are two other scenarios to keep in mind as you prepare to head into the mountains:

  • Loose Snow Avalanches: Recent low-density snow sits atop extremely weak facets on some NW-N-NE-E facing slopes. On very steep slopes approaching 40 degrees, it won't take much to get surficial sluffs moving (photo). Today will be mostly clear. Direct sunshine will trigger numerous natural loose snow avalanches. These probably won't be big enough to bury you, but they can pack a punch and could knock you over, pushing you where you don't want to go. Sluffs have the potential to trigger wind slab avalanches when recent winds formed stiff drifts lower in cirques and on the aprons of chutes and couloirs. 
  • Persistent Slab Avalanches: While unlikely, triggering a larger avalanche on weak, sugary, faceted snow deep in the snowpack is not completely off the table. To minimize the odds of this scenario, you can avoid very steep (approaching 40 degrees) slopes with large, hard wind features that keep you on the snow surface. This scenario is most likely in the western half of this zone (the Dollarhide Summit area and the Soldier Mtns). 

Pay attention to the terrain above you. Remember that even small avalanches can have bad outcomes in complex terrain. Before committing to skiing or riding a slope, think about where an avalanche could carry you. Could you get pushed over cliffs, through trees, or into creeks or gullies? Slopes with these terrain traps are inherently more dangerous than open slopes with a clean runout.

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