Sawtooth & Western Smoky Mtns

Mostly stable avalanche conditions exist, and large avalanches are unlikely. Be on the lookout for drifts and pockets of windblown snow near ridgelines and in bowls below steep cliff bands. Small, human-triggered loose snow avalanches (sluffs) are possible on very steep slopes 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; 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: Recent wind and new snow created thin slabs over older generations of wind slabs in exposed terrain. Some of these overlie weak facets or crusts—especially on SE-S-SW aspects—and may be more sensitive to triggering than you might expect. Wednesday, in the southern Sawtooths near McDonald Pk, Ethan observed a wind slab that stepped down to one of these deeper weak layers (report). Wind slabs will be thicker and more widespread at upper elevations. Look for wind-blown snow immediately below exposed ridgelines, on the sides of gullies or chutes, and below large cliff bands. 
• 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 won't take much to get surficial sluffs moving (photo). These may not be big enough to bury you, but they could knock you over and push you where you don't want to go. 
• Persistent Slabs: While unlikely, triggering a larger avalanche on weak, sugary, faceted snow deep in the snowpack is not completely 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. Watch this video to see what this looks like (video). 

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.