Avalanche forecast

Sawtooth & Western Smoky Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Triggering a large avalanche is possible in steep, rocky terrain where the wind has alternately drifted and scoured the snow surface. Avoiding areas with variable snowpack depths will reduce your chances of finding trouble.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    You're mostly likely to trigger a dense, destructive slab avalanche on slopes facing the northern half of the compass, where the wind frequently blows, and the snowpack depth is variable. Avalanches are easier to trigger in thin spots at the edges of slabs. Here are some characteristics of suspect slopes:

    • Wind-pillows, and textured surfaces where the wind has moved snow  
    • Rocks sticking out of the snow and wind-scouring along mid-slope gullies
    • Terrain where some part of the slope is at least 35 degrees

    Remotely triggering an avalanche from flat terrain near steep slopes remains a possibility. If you do trigger an avalanche, you probably won't observe obvious signs of instability like snowpack collapsing or cracking beforehand. 

    (12/31/2024) Large Persistent Slab avalanches like this one are possible at middle and upper-elevation terrain, especially in wind-affected areas or areas harboring a shallower snowpack.

Avalanche Discussion

You are most likely to trigger avalanches in the southeastern corner of this zone (Salmon River Headwaters, Frenchman Creek, and the mountains near the mouths of Smiley and Beaver Creeks), where the snowpack is a little thinner compared to the western Smokys and Sawtooths and significantly more recent avalanche activity was reported.

Avalanches will be difficult to trigger where mid-December weak layers are buried more than about 3 feet deep. Wednesday, we found a deep and generally stable snowpack in Alturas Lake Creek. Despite this, we cautiously chose slopes with uniform, planar entrances and short sections of lower-angle avalanche terrain (low 30-degree slopes).

Continue to practice safe travel protocols. Travel with a skilled partner and keep each other in sight. If you choose to enter avalanche terrain, do so one at a time and stack the odds in your favor by avoiding slopes that end in terrain traps like thick trees, cliffs, and creek bottoms.

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