Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

The general avalanche hazard is MODERATE today. Unstable soft slabs up to three feet in depth exist in avalanche starting zones and cliff areas. These slabs could be triggered by riders today on steep wind loaded aspects and have some potential to step down to deeper layers of faceted snow. A snowmobiler was killed Monday afternoon in an avalanche in the Poker Hollow area of the Smiths Fork drainage of the Salt River Range. He was the fifth rider to descend an avalanche path when he triggered a two foot deep soft slab on an east aspect at an elevation of 8,700 feet. This slab released on a thin layer of buried surface hoar. Six slides, one very large, were reported in the Mt. McDougal area of the Wyoming Range earlier in the week. Similar events have occured in the Snake River Range.