Avalanche forecast

Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Triggering a large avalanche is most likely in wind-affected terrain and possible in areas generally protected from the wind. Your odds of triggering a slide increase as you climb in elevation or move to slopes that face away from the afternoon sun. 

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    You're most likely to trigger a large avalanche where dense slabs rest above weak, faceted snow and crusts. Observed avalanche activity during our recent storm focused on N-NE-E-SE facing slopes at middle and upper elevations. These areas received the most snow and harbor the weakest crust + facet combinations.

    While obviously wind-loaded terrain is the most dangerous, triggering an avalanche is also possible in steep, wind-sheltered terrain. Use your boots, hands, or poles to quickly check for "old snow"—crusts and/or weak, grey, sugary facets—beneath the more recent storm or wind-driven snow. 

    Cracks shooting out from you and "whumpfing" sounds as the snowpack collapses are red flags that indicate unstable conditions. Avoid all steep slopes where you experience these obvious signs of instability. You may be able to trigger avalanches remotely—from gentler terrain above, below, or to the sides of steep slopes.

    (12/6/2025) This avalanche was remotely triggered in wind-loaded terrain near the peak above Titus Lake. The slide failed on weak, faceted snow below the recent snowfall and wind-drifted snow, and above the prominent ice crust that formed before Thanksgiving. NE aspect near 9600'. 

    Photo: Ben VandenBos

Avalanche Discussion

This zone picked up 1-2" of SWE (snow-water equivalent) during our last storm from December 5th-9th. This precipitation fell as both snow and rain into upper elevation terrain, creating dense slabs in both windy and sheltered areas. Observations are limited, but large avalanches were reported near Galena Summit and in the neighboring Sawtooth & Western Smoky zone to the NW. Avalanches broke multiple feet thick, and some broke widely, spanning multiple terrain features, a hallmark of a Persistent Slab problem. 

Stability will gradually improve as the snowpack adjusts to the recent load, but this process can be slow and variable from slope to slope. Over the past two days, we've observed snowpack collapsing, cracking, and unstable snowpack test scores. Obvious signs of instability like these make it an easy decision to stick to lower-angle terrain and slopes without obvious facets beneath the storm snow. Today, be on the lookout for these same clues and heed their warning by traveling conservatively. 

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