Avalanche forecast

Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired last year. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Triggering a large avalanche is unlikely. Steep slopes on the northern half of the compass are the most likely slopes to find trouble. Sunny slopes without any wind may soften enough to produce small wet loose avalanches this afternoon.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    It's been three weeks since the last large slab avalanche occurred in this zone. Triggering a big slide on weak snow buried in February is unlikely but can't be completely ruled out. You probably won't experience obvious signs of instability, like snowpack cracking and collapsing, before triggering one of these avalanches. Terrain where you are most likely to find this problem is on steep, open slopes facing the northern 2/3 of the compass with variable snow depths, especially in the thinner snowpacks around the Wood River Valley.

    Large cornices dropping onto slopes are another possible way to awaken a deeper slab avalanche, so give them a wide berth.

     

    (2/18/2025) A skier on Patterson Pk near Hailey triggered this large avalanche. After several turns on the slope, the slide broke above and around them. Thankfully, the skier was able to ski ahead and to the side of the slab. NW @ 8,050'. Photo: Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

If you're planning to play in very steep terrain: 

  • Wet Loose avalanches: Friday, riders in the Sawtooths observed a decent-sized wet loose slide while riding near Alturas Lake. Today's expected breezy winds should keep most solar slopes from getting too wet and sloppy, but natural wet loose slides aren't out of the question. You can hedge your bets by not lingering under very steep, wind-sheltered slopes basking in unobscured sun—especially later in the day.
  • Wind Slab avalanches: Isolated wind slabs formed several days ago. The slabs are weathered and generally difficult to trigger, but they deserve respect in extreme terrain. 
  • Cornices: There are some monster cornices out there, and many are sagging due to the warm temperatures. Be careful while traveling near large cornices, and minimize the time you spend in consequential terrain directly below them.

 

Regions covered