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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Triggering a persistent slab avalanche 3-4 feet deep is getting harder yet possible, especially on shaded aspects near rocks and trees where the slab remains and is thinner. 

Ensure good travel protocols like traveling slopes steeper than 35 degrees one at a time and keep eyes on your partners from a safe location well beyond avalanche run-out zones.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2.5

    Our 11 day storm track (1/31-2/10) blessed us with over 60 inches of new snow in the mountains, creating a persistent slab. The latter half of January was dry and gave us a layer of facets and buried surface hoar that is now buried under 3-4 feet of snow. This weak layer produced natural and human triggered avalanches from Saturday 2/1-Tuesday 2/4. It has been since February 4th when we have last had a report of people triggering avalanches on this layer. The snow above is now 3- 4 feetdeep of pencil to 1 finger hard snow for more than half of it. We are still getting full propigation on this layer in our test pits: PST 27/113 END.

    While triggering this layer is becoming hard, it is still possible where the weak layer and slab has not slid. Riders on machines are more likely to trigger this weak layer and it would likely be a thin spot in the slab, near a rock or tree where the snow is also weaker.

    (2/10/2025) Photo: George Halcom

Avalanche Discussion

Avalanche danger is dropping, but not gone. Make sure you increase your safety for the chance that you trigger an avalanche and continue to use good protocols in the mountains. Wind slabs have likely healed yet you might find a chunk to break of if you are in extreme terrain near ridges and cornices...Dry loose avalanches are possible in steep terrain where you could be concerned about snow moving with you and push you into a bad place, as well as sensitive cornice edges that can break farther back that you could imagine.

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