Avalanche forecast

Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Triggering a large avalanche is most likely as you climb into exposed, windy terrain with variable snow depths. These avalanches may involve either recent snow or the entire snowpack. You may be able to trigger avalanches remotely—from flat terrain below, above, and to the sides of steep slopes.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    Triggering thick, meaty slabs remains likely on wind-affected middle and upper elevation slopes, and is possible in sheltered terrain. Slabs may fail on either deeply buried weak, sugary facets or on more shallowly buried crusts and storm interfaces.

    The deep facets: Faceted snow is buried near the ground (2-5 ft) on W-NW-N-NE-E-SE-facing slopes at middle and upper elevations. This weak snow needs more time to strengthen. Many large to very large-sized natural avalanches were observed in the last few days (view a list of recent avalanches). Most of these avalanches would have been unsurvivable. You're most likely to trigger destructive slides on facets near the ground 1) in windy and/or rocky areas where the snowpack depth is variable or thin and 2) in more sheltered terrain where the snowpack depth is roughly 3 feet deep. 

    The shallow crusts: Multiple storm interfaces and crusts are now buried about 1-3 feet deep. Triggering avalanches involving the these weak interfaces (photo) is most likely on slopes where the wind drifted snow or stiffened the snow surface. 

    How can we manage this problem? Sadly, avoidance is still the best option to reduce your risk, especially on wind-loaded slopes. Assume the slab + potential weak layer setup exists on all slopes until you dig in the snow to prove otherwise. You may or may not experience obvious signs of instability—like snowpack collapsing or cracks shooting out from your skis or sled—before triggering an avalanche. 

    (12/28/2025)

    Large natural avalanche observed in the N Fork of the Big Wood - Amber Gulch on a SE slope at 10,200 ft.

    Photo: Lundy, Scrivner

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Recent strong winds formed cohesive slabs up to 3 feet thick in upper and some middle elevation locations. Watch for smooth pillows, dunes, and large wind features below ridgelines as well as on the sides of cross-loaded gullies. Harder slabs may feel hollow and sound like a drum as you move across them. 

    Thankfully, wind slabs are generally easy to identify and avoid. Feeling for stiff snow under your boards or machine, and cracks shooting out ahead of you, are an obvious sign that you've found a wind slab. Hard wind slabs behave unpredictably; they can break above you and wider than expected. Small Wind Slab avalanches could "step down" to much larger Persistent Slabs (Problem #1) as the slide moves downslope. 

    (12/28/2025)

    Natural wind slab avalanches observed in the western corner of the Galena Summit and Eastern Mountains zone.

    Photo: Preuss, Linnet

Avalanche Discussion

We keep asking ourselves, "how would you feel travelling in the heart of the Boulders or Whiteclouds"... and the answers don't inspire confidence. Why? Because these areas harbor the perfect combination of variable snow depths and a hefty amount of recent wind stiffened snow. The snowpack is expected to behave unpredictably in these windier environments.

In more sheltered terrain, thin snowpacks are what cause us the most concern - where weak layers are most triggerable for skiers, riders and machines. Likely "3 foot deep" areas include middle elevation slopes in the White Clouds, near Tornak and Coyote Yurts, in the Warm Springs Drainage, and terrain on either side of highway 75 near and south of Prairie Ck. 

While the chances of triggering an avalanche may be (slowly) decreasing and the signs of instability may be less frequent, the consequences of these larger persistent slab avalanches remain high.

Regions covered