Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Mostly stable avalanche conditions exist, and large avalanches are unlikely. You could trigger thin pockets of hard, windblown snow near ridgelines. Small, human-triggered loose snow avalanches (sluffs) are possible on very steep slopes, sheltered from the wind on the northern half of the compass.

Before leaving the house this morning,  contemplate all possible situations to get into trouble while moving through the mountains. The list is pretty short for today, and the avalanches are expected to be small; not one issue outweighs the chances of triggering one problem to the next. Here are some of the potential hazards to consider before heading into the mountains:

• Wind Slabs: Wednesday, public observers reported cracking and collapsing in hard wind drifts near ridgelines (Indian Ck, Quigley). These are obvious symptoms of an unstable slab. Luckily, the slabs were confined near ridges and did not extend far downslope. You can effectively limit your exposure to this problem by seeking a softer snow surface. You're most likely to encounter these thin, hard slabs immediately below exposed ridgelines, on the sides of gullies or chutes, and near large terrain features. Any slabs you find are most suspect on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees. 
• Loose Snow Avalanches: The upper foot of the snowpack is extremely weak and faceted on some NW-N-NE-E facing slopes. On very steep slopes approaching 40 degrees, it doesn't take much to get surficial sluffs moving. Last week, several loose snow avalanches released naturally (on their own) in the mountains near Hailey. Also, a party of skiers triggered one of these sluffs on Carbonate Mountain (observation, photo).  
• Persistent Slabs: While unlikely, triggering a larger avalanche on weak, sugary, faceted snow deep in the snowpack is not entirely off the table. To minimize the odds of this scenario, you can avoid very steep (approaching 40 degrees) slopes with large, hard wind features that keep you on the snow surface. 

LOW danger is not an excuse to throw caution to the wind. All of your standard safety protocols still apply. Continue to carry rescue gear, travel one at a time through avalanche terrain, and watch for signs of instability. Remember that small avalanches can have bad outcomes in complex terrain. Before committing to skiing or riding a slope, think about where an avalanche could carry you. Could you get pushed over cliffs, through trees, or into creeks or gullies? Slopes with these terrain traps are inherently more dangerous than open slopes with a clean runout. 

You can get caught up on what happened last week with Ben's latest Weekend Update.