Avalanche forecast

East Cabinet Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Our current snowpack is showing good stability with low likelihood of avalanches. Stubborn wind slabs created on January 20th will be the problem to watch for. These stubborn pockets of wind slab will be found on north and east aspects near ridgelines. Take time to assess the stability of these windslabs before dropping into steep and committing terrain in these locations.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    On January 20th we picked up 4-6" of fresh snow with moderate winds blowing out of the southwest. This new snow was transported into pockets of windslab on northeast aspects in open and exposed terrain. Yesterday we found these slabs to be well bonded to the snowpack and resistant to propagation or failure. I would still take the time to assess their stability before committing to any extreme terrain with high consequences. Even a small slab can cause serious damage in the wrong terrain.

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterday we travelled up to Pulpit Mountain north of Troy. It was snowing for the first half of the day and we picked up 1-2" of light, fluffy powder. The new snow did a good job of hiding the latest batch of surface hoar but we did find it growing next to the road below treeline. We dug a pit at 6,000' on an east aspect where we found a pretty stable snowpack. There is some weakness associated with the crust layer about 6" deep. It's currently not a concern until we bury it with a cohesive slab of snow. Other observations of note are the thin and weak areas near ridgeline where we are seeing the development of depth hoar crystals forming. Again, not an issue until this weak snow gets buried. For now, high pressure seems to be the weather story for at least another week.

The last observation of note would be the older avalanche we observed on the northeast side of the mountain that was triggered by cornice fall. Our best guess is that it failed during our last rain event. The cornice fall appears to have removed the snowpack down to the ground and ran full path into the basin below. See photos in media gallery and video.

 

Thanks for the snowpack observations over the weekend, please keep them coming! We’re particularly curious about the recently formed surface hoar and if additional surface hoar growth and other potential future weak layers develop in our surface snow from the clear, cold nights this week.

Friends of IPAC has a bunch of avalanche and safety courses coming up, find more information and view the schedule here. There’s something for everyone, from excellent Level 1 Refresher courses to a Level 2 and also Wilderness First Aid that’s tailored to winter backcountry users.

Backcountry users between 14 and 24 years of age can apply for a Level 1 Avalanche Course scholarship via the Doug Abromeit Scholarship, deadline February 13th, 2022!

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