Avalanche forecast

Salmon River Mountains

Payette Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Strong southern winds have built wind slabs 12-18 inches thick above 7,500 feet on north and east-facing terrain. Below 7,500 feet, rain and warm temperatures have created heavier, unstable snow in the upper snowpack. Watch for small, wet loose avalanche activity at middle and lower elevations.   

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Wind slabs 12-18 inches thick may be lurking on steep slopes above 7,500 feet. Despite the warm temperatures, there is still snow available for transport above 7,500 feet. Tuesday, we observed recent wind slab avalanche activity. Southern winds were continuing to load north and east-facing slopes at upper elevations. Wind slabs were failing at the new/old interface from 12/21. Several inches of new snow and strong southern winds at upper elevations, will keep slopes primed for wind slab activity. 

    Pay attention to red flags like active wind-loading, shooting cracks from your skis, board, or sled, recent avalanche activity, or collapsing or whumpfing. If you're finding signs of instability, back off steep slopes in the upper elevations.

    (12/23/2025)

    North Bruin with plumes of snow from SW winds transporting recent storm snow

    Photo: Kevin Studley

  • Loose Wet

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

    Expect to find small, wet loose slides on steep terrain below 7,500 feet. The snowpack below 7,500 feet has been experiencing rain and near record temperatures since yesterday morning. Tuesday, we observed a saturated snowpack at lower elevations that was losing cohesion. Wet surface snow was able to entrain 6-12 inches of wet snow in the upper snowpack on steep slopes. Today, we are forecasted to receive more rain up to ~7,500 feet. 

    Watch for signs the upper snow is becoming wet and unstable such as pinwheels and rollerballs. More rain on snow will increase the likelihood of wet loose activity today. Below 6,500 feet, there is not enough snow to create an avalanche larger than size D1.

    (12/23/2025)

    Wet loose activity at lower elevations. Recent storm snow becoming moist and losing cohesion

    Photo: Kevin Studley

Avalanche Discussion

Merry Christmas! This heavy, wet snow will feel upside down and could produce small avalanches in steep terrain. Use caution in steep terrain as the snowpack needs time to adjust to the added weight. Remember that an avalanche hazard rating is not simply a color on a scale. It is the likelihood of an avalanche impacting something of value — for our purposes, that thing is you. The best way to manage this uncertainty is to build wide safety margins into your travel decisions. A margin is essentially a buffer zone between you and a large amount of uncertainty that exists when traveling in any backcountry environment. The great thing about using margin is that we can adjust ours as conditions change to allow for greater room for error. With more snowfall and increasing winds today, our margins are shrinking. We can offset this narrowing of our buffer zone by choosing terrain that is sheltered from current (and previous) wind loading and by dialing back slope angles.

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