Avalanche forecast

East Cabinet Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Generally stable snowpack conditions are present across the Kootenai area. The most concerning of avalanche problems today will be wind loading in steep terrain. With 4-5" of fresh snow and variable winds present the past 24 hours, it is likely you will find small pockets of wind slab that may be triggered in steep terrain above treeline. Take the time to assess for reactive wind slabs before dropping into steep terrain with high consequences.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    A small storm left us with 4-5" of snow in the Cabinets and 1-3" of new snow in the Purcells. Through out the past 24 hours winds have switched from southwest, to west and then to the northwest. This has likely transported snow into small slabs that could be triggered today in steep terrain where the new snow has settled below ridgelines, chutes and gully features. If there is a spot I would be concerned about today and hesitate to commit to, it would be a steep chute at upper elevations on easterly facing terrain. 

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    During the past two weeks we have been seeing propagation in stability tests on top of our crust layer that developed around January 13th. At the end of January we had four days of very cold temperatures that created some weak and sugary snow crystals around this crust layer. This crust layer is more pronounced in the Cabinets than the Purcell Range which makes it more concerning and reactive in the Cabinets. At this point I think it is unlikely you will trigger an avalanche on this layer. Triggering an avalanche on this weak layer would likely take a large impact such as cornice fall or a snowmobiler jumping off a cornice onto steep terrain. 

Avalanche Discussion

On Monday we toured into the Purcell Range to check out the snowpack with the legendary Kevin Davis from Sandpoint. On our route in we experienced variable wind gusts that eventually transitioned to a light northwesterly wind accompanied by intermittent snowfall. Our assessment of the snowpack revealed stable conditions and no concerning results. An old layer of buried surface hoar was found smashed into the snowpack. We have been finding buried surface hoar in all ranges of the Kootenai, but are yet to see any results out of it the past two weeks. The skiing and riding is excellent right now especially at treeline and below where the snow has been protected from the winds. 

The storm that passed through Monday through Tuesday morning was highly variable in it's distribution across the area. The East and West Cabinets recieved the most snowfall although it was hard to get a real grasp on totals this morning with snotel sites missing many of the metrics as of 4 A.M. today. Regardless, we know we have a modest amount of refresh on the surface that should make for some fantastic riding today without escalating the avalanche danger much. Again, watch the steep and consequential terrain at upper elevations today and pay attention to surface conditions. Those are the locations and snowpack issues to be attentive to today.

Regions covered