Avalanche forecast

Avalanche forecast

Payette Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

3-6 inches of snowfall yesterday combined with moderate south/southeast winds have increased the likelihood of triggering a wind slab avalanche today. These wind slabs could be one foot deep and you're most likely to find them on slopes above 7000 feet that face north and west.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Yesterday, George and I were north of Brundage Resort and noticed winds drifting and depositing snow above 7000 feet. Before snowfall began, winds were blowing out of the east and were drifting older surface snow on west-facing aspects. Throughout the afternoon as snowfall intensified, winds shifted out of the south, drifting and deposting snow on north-facing aspects. 3-6 inches of snowfall associated with these winds has increased the likelihood of triggering a small to medium sized wind slab avalanche today.

    You are most likely to encounter wind slabs on north and west-facing aspects above 7000 feet. There may be isolated pockets within other aspects on the compass and below 7000 feet. Watch for clues like shooting cracks, pillows and drifts, or a hollow or slabby feeling within the new snow. These indicators are clues of dense snow over weaker snow that could create a wind slab avalanche in terrain steeper than 30 degrees. Dig down in the snow to investigate further and/or switch to a different aspect without wind-deposited snow.

Avalanche Discussion

Today's avalanche forecast is sponsored by Franklin Building Supply of McCall. Thanks for the supporting the Payette Avalanche Center.

The weather since the 12/27 rain event has left a variety of crusts and weak layers/interfaces in the upper portion of the snowpack throughout our advisory area. Yesterday, we observed a layer of buried surface hoar mixed with graupel about 15 cm (6 inches) beneath the snow surface. Today, these weaker layers are buried under an additional 3-6 inches of snow. Add in some of the moderate south winds from yesterday afternoon and you could easily encounter a slab of dense snow one foot thick overlying weaker snow. Triggering an avalanche on weak layers buried beneath the 12/27 rain crust is very likely. Very unlikely does not translate to impossible. Stability has improved substantially within the last ten days. Your group's decisions in the mountains today should be based on the avalanche problems we've been discussing this season, not a particular color on the danger scale.

If you're heading out in the mountains, make sure you're properly equipped with avalanche rescue gear (transceiver, shovel, and probe). There have been multiple avalanche fatalities within the past 10 days where people were not wearing transceivers.

Join the Friends of the Payette Avalanche Center (FPAC) on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 at 6PM at Salmon River Brewery.

PINT NIGHT FUNDRAISER for the FPAC! An interactive evening with Michael Ackerman "Ack"(@splitboardinghermit). Ack is a professional educator, adventurer, and leader of the nation’s oldest snow safety and avalanche school, Silverton Avalanche School. Ack will be leading an interactive talk at the Taphouse focused on "Our Relationship to Risk". Now is the perfect time to reflect upon your own relationship with risk and examine how that relationship will change throughout the winter and over the course of your life! This transformative and impactful presentation will push YOU to be more mindful and aware of the greater forces driving our actions, behaviors, and decision-making on the slopes. The talk is FREE, $1 from every pint will be donated by SRB to the FPAC! This fundraising event is sponsored by Brundage Mountain Resort Patrol, Avalanche Science, Silverton Avalanche School, & The Salmon River Brewing. Thank you, Ack for donating your time to bring more awareness to our community!