Avalanche forecast

Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
4 · High
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

Very dangerous avalanche conditions will develop throughout the day and peak overnight. Stay off of and out from under steep slopes. Expect many 1-3 foot thick avalanches to release on their own. Avalanches are most likely in areas exposed to the wind. 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
    Certain
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Many, large Persistent Slab avalanches are almost certain to occur. Today's storm will form slabs on a thin, weak snowpack capped with facets, surface hoar, and crust + facet combinations on slopes that face the sun. The widespread nature of this weak snow means avalanches may be easy to trigger on many slopes by day's end. 

    Conditions are most dangerous where wind-blown snow forms thick, stiff slabs at the snow's surface. As storm snow piles up, your odds of triggering an avalanche will also increase on steep slopes at middle and some low elevation slopes that are more sheltered from the wind.  

    Persistent Slabs can release in surprising ways, break wider than expected, and release hundreds of feet away from where they are triggered. Avoid avalanche terrain; this includes gentler terrain below steep slopes.

    (12/1/2024) This is an example of the wide, large avalanches we expect to see during the storm. This slide occurred in the N. Boulders after our last significant storm. 

    Photo: Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

Avalanche danger will rise steadily throughout the day, peaking late this afternoon and overnight. The Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns Zone is expected to pick up anywhere from 11-20" of snow by day's end. Snowfall favors the Soldiers, but a SW-S-SE flow will give most areas a healthy dose of snow. Today's danger directly relates to how quickly a slab forms at the surface. Windier middle and upper elevations will get a head start, building stiff slabs that will release naturally and be very easy to trigger. The danger is slower to rise in areas more sheltered from the wind. Here, subtle wind press and consolidating snowfall will gradually form touchy slabs throughout the day.

In either case, we're building on a shaky foundation, and don't expect today's storm snow to play nicely with the myriad of weak layers we're loading (see examples below.) Conditions are much safer on sunnier, low elevation slopes where today's snowfall lands on intermittent, shallow snow cover or dirt and sage. 

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