Avalanche forecast

Banner Summit

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The size and likelihood of avalanches will increase as you climb into windy terrain. You can reduce your risk of triggering large avalanches by avoiding steep slopes with harder, wind-drifted snow at the surface.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Recent winds have formed slabs up to 3 feet thick in upper and some middle elevation terrain. Wind slabs form near ridgelines and in cross-loaded areas on the sides of gullies. Look for recent cornices, dunes, or ripples on the snow surface. These are signs the wind has been at work, transporting snow. Look for and avoid steep slopes that have these snow surface characteristics.

    If you choose to enter avalanche terrain, try to reduce the consequences of being caught in an avalanche by avoiding slopes with terrain traps such as trees, cliffs, or gullies at the bottom of steeper slopes. 

    Additional Discussion:While less likely, it’s not impossible that you trigger 2 to 4 foot thick avalanches failing on facet + crust combinations. These avalanches can break wider and be more sensitive than typical wind slabs. Very steep, rocky, wind-affected slopes with variable snow depths are the most suspect. 

    (12/28/2025)

    A natural large wind slab avalanche and widespread wind-affected snow surfaces up in the Southern Sawtooth Range.

Avalanche Discussion

Recent winds have played a major role in most of the avalanches we've observed in this zone over the past few days. Above about 8000', look for hard slabs, scoured slopes, and overbuilt wind whales in exposed terrain. The snowpack is expected to behave unpredictably in these windier environments. While the chances of triggering an avalanche may be (slowly) decreasing and the signs of instability may be less frequent, the consequences of slab avalanches remain high. 

Regions covered