Avalanche forecast

Avalanche forecast

Payette Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Out of date — this forecast expired 5 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Loose avalanches within the upper foot of the snowpack are possible in steep terrain. Warm temperatures overnight and today along with the Sun will likely produce wet loose avalanches. If you see wet avalanche activity choose another slope that is cooler, or not under direct sunlight.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Today is going to be about 7 degrees hotter than yesterday. It is going to heat up to 41 degrees at the Granite mountain weather station that sits at 7,600 feet. Wet loose avalanches are going to be possible as the sun and temperatures warm the snow surface again today.

    Yesterday, we watched small, (D1) natural wet-loose avalanches start around 11 am on a due South rocky steep slope, and were also able to get rollerballs to form on an East aspect around 11 am. 

    Solar aspects have a poor bond below the last storm snow: sitting on a crust that could make it more likely to slide as the heat gets turned up. Watch your slope angle and your aspect.

    If you are sinking more than a couple of inches into what was previously firm, or you are seeing signs of the snow getting too warm like rollerballs and point releases forming from the surface or around rocks, choose another aspect that is tilted away from the sun.

Avalanche Discussion

Loose snow exists where the Sun could not heat it up. On solar aspects, and lower elevations we had a rain and temperature crust form on the surface before the latest snow fell on it that has challenged snow to bond to it. Skiers triggered loose-wet avalanches early this week that were not large enough to bury a person, but large enough to scare the people involved and potentially injure a person or put them into unwanted places.  Winds have been variable, and gusty in the upper elevations. Wind slabs have been minor, and no real activity other than small harmless localized cracking was observed. Keep in mind that there is still potential to get the upper foot at best in places to slide on steep slopes.

$$$Don't throw caution to the wind during LOW danger...Make sure everyone in your group is carrying a transceiver, shovel, and a probe on them and not on their sled...Keep using good, safe travel protocols in terrain steeper than 30 degrees, and have fun while watching your partners one at a time from a safe spot.

We will issue our last advisory for the season on Saturday, April 10th. We would like to thank everyone for their support and observations, and for staying safe during an especially dangerous winter!  

Check your aspect and slope angle regularly. Across the U. S. we have had 33 avalanche fatalities so far this year. It is always a good idea to travel on slopes steeper than 30 degrees one at a time. Make sure all of your partners are carrying first aid gear as well as an avalanche transceiver, probe, and shovel, and that it is in a backpack on you in case your snowmobile gets buried.

    OBSERVATIONS – Please keep sharing your observations and information on instabilities and incidents. Your observations are very important to our operations and help everyone who looks at them. We have been experiencing some bugs with our observation page. If you are having difficulty submitting your observations, please email your information and photos with as much information as you can to [email protected].   MOTORIZED CLOSURES – Motorized closures are in effect in a few areas on the Payette National Forest.  Areas around Brundage Mountain Resort, on Granite Mountain, on Jughandle Mountain, in the Lick Creek area, and a few other areas are closed to motorized travel. Not all of these closures are signed, or signs may be easy to miss.  Please refer to the Winter Travel Map to find out where you can shred on your sled or moto. You can also download this map on your phone using the Avenza app.  Please respect other users and these closures where they exist.   SURVEYS – Our colleagues at the Wallowa Avalanche Center are seeking to gain a better understanding of how backcountry travelers use the avalanche forecast and have released this survey. Reach out to [email protected] with questions. Also, researchers from the University of Montana and the University of Nevada, Reno are looking into how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected backcountry skiing and snowboarding. That survey is available here.   DONATE – We rely on your support so please reach out to the Friends of the PAC, or click Donate above, to help us provide you with the info you need to be safe in the mountains.