Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Generally safe avalanche conditions exist, and large avalanches are unlikely. Be on the lookout for small, fresh wind drifts at upper elevations—especially in the Soldiers. It would take a dose of bad luck, but there's a remote chance of triggering a large slide in very steep, rocky, wind-affected terrain. 

Thursday's small storm brought 2-4" of new snow to the Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns accompanied by light to moderate northerly winds. This wasn't enough to appreciably change the avalanche danger, and the rating has remained at LOW. Generally stable conditions exist, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Fresh wind slabs. The Soldier Mtns experienced strong NW winds yesterday morning, and Soldier Cat Ski guides were able to ski cut fresh small wind slabs that were 4-8" thick. While small and isolated, they could be enough to knock you off your feet or machine. They'll be fairly easily identified by signs of wind texture at the surface or by snow that feels thicker, denser, or more cohesive than what you're finding on wind-sheltered slopes.
• Wet loose avalanches. Thursday's new snow fell on top of slick crusts on slopes that face the sun. Small wet loose slides have been reported in three out of four zones, including one in the northern Boulder Mtns behind Galena Lodge (photo). Today's warm temps and sunshine will produce the possibility of more wet sluffs. These could occur naturally as the day warms up—pay attention to the terrain above you.
• Weak snow near the ground. Weak, sugary snow exists at the base of the snowpack on shaded NW-N-NE-E facing slopes above about 8000'. It would take a dose of very bad luck to trigger a 2-5 foot thick slide on this layer, but the consequences would be severe. You're most likely to find both the old October snow and a thick, dense slab above it in the western part of this zone (Soldier Mtns and near Dollarhide Summit). 

Catch up on what happened (or didn't happen) this past week in Scott's latest Weekend Update.