Salmon River Mountains

Below freezing temperatures this morning, after two days of rain, have formed a rock-hard snow surface. A landscape of frozen tundra will create hard and fast travel conditions with overheating sleds. If you brave the less-than-ideal conditions, it's unlikely that avalanches will be your primary concern today. Long, sliding falls are a consideration if you venture into steep terrain.

If you head into the mountains this morning, you will be greeted with highly variable conditions. Winter trailhead access continues to diminish with bare ground growing at lower elevations. A fat bike with studded tires or micro-spikes may be the recommended mode of over-snow travel this morning.

Over the past 48 hours, the West Central mountains recorded 0.25-1" of rain. Higher totals were recorded in the mountains north of McCall, with lower amounts south. Above-average temperatures and rain on snow kept the upper snowpack saturated for the past several days. Below freezing temperatures this morning will form a stout surface crust across multiple aspects and elevations, and will "lock-up" the upper snowpack. Beneath surface crusts, the snowpack is likely very saturated from the recent warm temperatures and rain. Over the last week and a half, we've seen 15-20 inches of snow loss. Thankfully, with some colder temperatures today, we can slow the hemorrhaging that's occurred in the mountains over the last 10 days. 

WET LOOSE AVALANCHES - Clear, sunny conditions may cause the snow surface to destabilize this afternoon on SW and W-facing slopes, increasing the likelihood of small, wet-loose avalanches on slopes steeper than 35 degrees. The most unstable snow will likely be on steep and rocky solar aspects. Wet loose avalanches begin at a single point and fan out, collecting debris as they move downslope. They are commonly small but can pack a punch in exposed terrain or push a rider into consequential areas, such as over cliffs, into rocks, or into lower-lying depressions or concavities. 

CORNICES - Some of these monsters can break off naturally or by the weight of a person. After 10 days of above-average temperatures, continue to give all cornices a wide margin, and be careful along ridgelines. Cornices can break much farther back than expected. Limit your exposure underneath or adjacent to them. A cornice fall could trigger a larger avalanche breaking deeper within the snowpack. 

SLIDING FALLS - Hard, frozen snow surfaces allow for fast travel on foot. These same surfaces can create dangerous conditions in steep terrain without the proper equipment. Crampons and ice axes are a must if you are venturing into steep terrain. Knowing how to self-arrest will prevent long, sliding falls in consequential terrain. 

If you're out in the mountains, submit an observation on our website or through the Avy App. Tag us #payetteavy