Avalanche forecast

Silver Valley & Bitterroot Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

There have been more human triggered avalanches reported over the last 4 days than the entire season combined. Cohesive slabs are resting on fragile weak layers that can be triggered easily underfoot or from a distance, and the resulting avalanche would be large enough to bury or kill a person. Dangerous avalanche conditions exist, and it is important to avoid traveling on, below, or adjacent to slopes over 30 degrees in steepness.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Consecutive days of steady incremental snowfall have increased slab depths at all elevations. The middle and upper elevations have experienced notable snow totals over the last 7 days with new storm slab depths around 1.5 to 3 feet deep. In many places these thick slabs are resting above a fragile layer of surface hoar that developed prior to Valentines Day. These slabs gain both in cohesion and thickness as you climb in elevation, and in turn increase in their sensitivity, showing more signs of instability like cracking around your skis and audible collapses. The lower elevation band, below 5,500 feet, has also seen enough snow for the danger rating to increase.

    Avalanches triggered in the recent snow has a likely potential to step down and trigger a deeper and larger Persistent Slab avalanche. Today's travel advice is simple: avoid travelling on, below, or adjacent to slopes over 30 degrees.

    Over the past week, we have received several reports of human triggered avalanches across multiple forecast zones. Some of these avalanches have been remotely triggered from a distance and propagated widely across the slope. There has been one report of a skier caught, carried, and partially buried. 

    A human triggered avalanche from the Silver Valley-Bitterroots failed on the most recent layer of buried surface hoar. This avalanche released mid slope on a north facing aspect. 

    February 19, 2026

    Photo: Izzy Davis

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3

    Incremental snowfall since the end of January, and more steadily throughout the last 7 days, has built slabs that are now about 2 to 3 feet deep. These cohesive slabs are building on a variety of weak layers: the most recent is buried surface hoar from Valentine’s Day, another layer of buried surface hoar from the end of January, deeper down, and faceted crusts. Slab depths have reached a size where an avalanche failing on any of these lurking weak layers would be large enough to bury, injure, or kill a person.

    As slab depths have increased, we have seen more reports of natural and human triggered avalanches, and increased signs of instability like shooting cracks and collapsing. Persistent Slab avalanche can behave in unusual ways. Avalanches can propagate widely across the slope and connect terrain features or be triggered from a distance. It is not enough to just avoid traveling directly on slopes 30 degrees or greater; you also have to avoid traveling below steep slopes to account for the possibility of remote triggering.

    Storm Slab avalanches are presently more sensitive than our Persistent Slab avalanche problem, however the release of a Storm Slab could easily provoke stubborn buried weak layers. This pit profile showcases the size and potential interplay of our two primary avalanche problems today. 

    February 16, 2026

    Photo: Jackson George

Avalanche Discussion

In the previous 7 days, storm totals amounted to 27 to 36 inches in the Selkirks, 25 to 37 inches in the Cabinets, and 16 to 31 inches across the Silver Valley-Bitterroots. Snowfall was delivered across the past week in incremental loads, but all stacking up on existing weak layers in the snowpack. As slab depths increased, we received more reports of natural and human triggered avalanches.

Early in the storm, a layer of surface hoar that developed around Valentine's Day was capped and preserved. We have seen this weak layer become more reactive in snowpack tests and has been responsible for shooting cracks and audible collapses. This layer has been more and more vocal in areas where slabs have been stiffened by wind, primarily on the north side of the compass.  Consequently, this is also the location of the late January buried surface hoar. This combination poses a dangerous setup where an already large avalanche could break deeper in the snowpack and influence other weak layers.

Avalanche conditions are downright dangerous right now. The setup is all there, folks. The only thing missing is a trigger. With thick slabs that are 2 to 3 feet deep, stressing fragile layers, the snowpack is primed for a skier or rider to knock it over the edge. While we haven’t gotten a ton of reports of natural avalanches, we are starting to see more release as slab depths increase from snowfall and wind.

Avoidance is the best tool right now to avoid triggering an avalanche. It has been a tough season in terms of snowfall and powder days, and we are all feeling the excitement of the new snow. It is not the time to try to thread the needle or push into slopes over 30 degrees. The best and safest way to enjoy the new snow is by recreating in low angle meadows that are far away from steep overhead slopes and don’t connect to adjacent avalanche paths. Persistent Slab avalanches can break surprisingly wide distances across terrain.

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