Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns

You may be able to trigger small avalanches at upper elevations where the wind has drifted snow, and both dry and wet loose snow avalanches are possible on very steep slopes. Either of these could be enough to knock you off your skis or sled and take you for a ride. There's a lingering chance of triggering a large slide in very steep, rocky, wind-affected terrain.

While large avalanches are unlikely in this zone, there are still a few things that are worth keeping in mind as you are traveling in the mountains today. The weak snow buried near the base of the snowpack is at its worst in this zone.

WIND SLABS: Over the past few days, skiers and riders have found unstable drifts of snow on middle and upper elevation slopes across our region. On Saturday, a skier triggered a wind slab avalanche (crown photo, debris photo) in the Sawtooths. It broke about a foot deep and 50' wide.  Yesterday, in the Trail Creek drainage near Ketchum, I found similar slabs along upper elevation ridgelines (video here). Local professionals found similar slabs near Galena Summit (photo here). Look for these slabs in terrain that is exposed to the wind. How do you look for them? Surface textures such as ripples on the surface are good signs of slabs. Be alert to changes in how the snow feels as well. If it quickly gets denser and stiffer you've likely found one of the isolated slabs.

LOOSE SNOW AVALANCHES: Today's loose snow avalanches will come in two flavors:

• DRY - If you are finding cold snow to ski through on steep slopes you may be able to trigger a dry sluff. 
• WET - Today will be another warm and sunny day. As the sun heats up the snow surface and melts the crusts that exist, be aware that the likelihood of encountering this type of slide will increase. In very steep, rocky, treed terrain, small wet loose slides may occur naturally. 

Both of these types of loose snow avalanches are relatively easy to manage, as long as you're paying attention. However, they can also both produce slides large enough to knock you off your feet and send you down the slope at speed, thanks to the stiff snow surfaces underneath.

PERSISTENT SLABS:  Weak, faceted snow exists near the base of the snowpack on mid and upper elevation shady slopes. The presence of this snow continues to influence the way that I am traveling in the mountains here. Triggering an avalanche on this layer is unlikely, but it's not entirely out of the question on slopes with the following characteristics:

• Very steep: slopes steeper than about 35 degrees.
• Rocky: slopes with variable snow cover due to the roughness of the terrain.
• Wind-affected: slopes where winds produce variable snow depths.

Want to catch up on the last week's conditions? Be sure to check out the latest weekend update from Chris.