Avalanche forecast

Silver Valley & Bitterroot Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
No rating
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Not a lot has changed out there: shallow snowpack and associated early season hazards persist.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1–1.5

    Isolated pockets of surface hoar can be found buried 18” to 24” from surface on north aspects at mid and upper elevations in areas with openings in the forest canopy. In some locations the layer was saturated and refroze into an unreactive layer, while in others it has remained intact and has potential to propagate despite being stubborn.

    Surface hoar from November buried 20" from surface on North aspect of Dominion Peak at 5,800'. ECTP22

    Photo: Mikey Church

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterday Izzy toured up from Gliddon Lake and I poked around Dominion Peak. The little pulse of precipitation from last weekend added a rain crust topped by a couple-three inches of soft snow. Pockets of fun skiing/riding can be had here or there, but access remains difficult due to thin coverage, and the very real threat of near surface rocks and logs remain our greatest hazard.

Persistent weak layers can be tricky: they stick around, but they don’t always show themselves. Last week I prematurely dropped the buried surface hoar from late November problem from the forecast because we had no data that showed it was still reactive for over a week and I believed mild weather and infusions of liquid water had broken down and added strength to the feather like crystals. This week we found the layer to still have propagation potential in stability tests in two different locations, while we found it unreactive in other locations. For the time being I am not overly alarmed about this layer as the distribution is isolated, its sensitivity is stubborn to unreactive and the potential size of an avalanche on this layer is small; therefore, the hazard rating is low. However, if we ever get a significant dumping of snow the additional load could awaken the layer and it could become a greater concern. We will continue to monitor this layer until we are confident that it is no longer an issue.

Looking into the weekend ahead a light pulse of precipitation is forecast to bring trace amounts of rain up to 5,400' transitioning to snow.

As we bring 2023 to a close I would like to acknowledge all our readers and FIPAC members for supporting the backcountry community. Who knows what might happen in 2024? A boring winter might not be the worst thing that comes to pass, but let’s hope for the best. May the new year bring colder temperatures, precipitation, compassion and understanding.

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