Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Human-triggered avalanches are most likely in windy terrain above 8500' in the western and northern regions of this zone.

We will begin issuing daily Avalanche Forecasts with Danger Ratings when snow cover allows for reasonable backcountry recreational access. 

If you're travelling above 8500' or along the northern border of this zone (near the Coyote and Tornak huts (photo), in the Warm Springs Ck drainage, including out of bounds on Bald Mountain (video), in the mountains north of Ketchum, or in the Soldier Mtns), please refer to the Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns forecast.

Much of the terrain in this zone was snow free until the recent storms. Consistently high rain-lines and unusually warm November and December temperatures have prevented a snowpack from developing at middle and lower elevations.

The deeper snowpacks in the higher elevation terrain in the northern and western edges of this zone probably resemble the snowpack in the southwestern part of the Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns zone, and it is still ugly. In these areas, steep slopes that face away from the afternoon sun (NW-N-NE-E-SE aspects) near and above 8500 ft are dangerous; they harbor weak, sugary, faceted snow buried below a dense, thick slab. Slopes with obvious wind-loading or stiff snow at the surface are most suspect. While slabs exist on many slopes above about 8000', the weak layer of faceted snow near the bottom of the snowpack is worst on shadier, upper elevation slopes.

Cracks shooting out from you and "whumpfing" sounds as the snowpack collapses are red flags that indicate unstable conditions. Avoid steep slopes if you experience these obvious signs of instability. Triggered slides could be wider than you expect. You could trigger avalanches remotely—from gentler terrain above, below, or to the sides of steep slopes.