Avalanche forecast

Sawtooth & Western Smoky Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

You may be able to trigger a large avalanche where the wind has built drifts or hardened the snow surface, especially in steep, rocky terrain. Triggering avalanches is unlikely where the snow surface remains soft, dry, and powdery.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    You may be able to trigger 1-3 foot thick slabs in wind-loaded terrain near and above about 8500'. Some slabs overlie crusts and/or thin layers of weak, faceted snow and could break wider than expected. Triggering these large avalanches is most likely on slopes approaching or exceeding about 40 degrees in steepness. 

    Yesterday, NW-N-NE wind was moving snow on ridgetops. Look for smooth pillows below ridgelines and cornices as well as on the sides of cross-loaded gullies. In the craggy Sawtooth Mtns, slabs commonly form in cirques below large cliff faces and on the aprons of large chutes and couloirs. Dunes and ripples on the surface are clues that the wind has been at work transporting snow. 

    Falling cornices (photo below/at right) can be great triggers for the wind slabs below them. Hard wind slabs sound hollow, like a drum, and behave unpredictably; they can break above you and wider than expected. You may or may not experience snowpack cracking or collapsing—clear signs of unstable conditions—before triggering a wind slab avalanche. 

    (1/14/2026) Large avalanche triggered by cornice fall. Photo: Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

Although surrounding zones are rated LOW danger, Wind Slab concerns are keeping the avalanche hazard elevated in the Sawtooths and Western Smoky Mtns. During the week-long storm that began on New Year’s Day, this zone received nearly 4 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE), or roughly 4 feet of snow. Strong northwest winds redistributed snow across many mid- and upper-elevation slopes.

Yesterday, the Upper Vienna weather station recorded steady moderate wind from the NE, and we observed wind transport off many peaks in the Sawtooths. This fresh wind-loading and uncertainty surrounding the sensitivity of older wind slabs have delayed dropping the danger rating to LOW.

Today, sticking to softer snow in areas more sheltered from the wind is a great way to reduce the chances of encountering a sensitive slab. Remember that small slides can have big consequences in complex terrain. Ask yourself, “What would being caught in even a small avalanche look like on this slope?” If the slope is peppered with trees, rocks, cliffs, or ends in a creekbed or a gully, consider choosing more open, gradual terrain.

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