Avalanche forecast

Silver Valley & Bitterroot Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Nearly 1 to 2 feet of new snow has blanketed the mountains over the previous 24 hours, creating new slabs that are likely to fail from the additional weight of a skier or rider or release naturally. Conservative terrain choices and cautious route finding will be essential to avoid triggering a dangerous avalanche. Choose low-angle slopes that are less than 30 degrees that do not have any steep overhead hazards for the safest skiing and riding.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–2.5

    Weak faceted snow grains around rain crusts are now buried over 2 to 3 feet deep. Due to the depth of these weak layers, the snowpack is delivering less and less reliable feedback around instability. Unless you dig down into the snow to investigate the structure, there will likely be no classic warning signs that this problem exists until a large and consequential avalanche is triggered. With the unpredictable nature of this problem, choose simple, lower-angle terrain that avoids runout zones to reduce your risk.

    With new slabs developing on the surface from new snow and winds, triggering an avalanche in the storm snow has the potential to step down and provoke a failure deeper into the snowpack on these buried weak layers. An avalanche that fails at this depth would create a highly consequential or deadly-sized avalanche. 

    Recent stability tests revealed that facets surrounding different rain crusts are continuing to weaken and producing propagating failures.

    December 24, 2025.

    Photo: George LaGesse

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    Within the last 24 hours, weather stations across the forecast area have reported 12 inches to nearly 24 inches of new snow. Avalanches that failed naturally and by skier trigger were reported yesterday during the midst of the storm, demonstrating how reactive these new slabs are. New storm slabs will gain in size and depth the higher you go in elevation. Wind speeds peaked at 45mph yesterday, and breezy conditions will continue this morning. The combination of light snow and elevated winds will continue to form slabs that are larger and more reactive below ridgelines, and along steep gully walls- often referred to as cross loading.

    Don't let clearing skies and new snow lure you into a potentially dangerous situation today. Dangerous avalanche conditions exist, and it's not a good day to step out into steep terrain and try to outsmart the problem. Reactive storm slabs will be found widespread on all aspects. Recreating in the mountains today should be centered around conservative decision making, with a plan to stick to slopes that are under 30 degrees. Due to the elevated sensitivity and possibility of natural releases, avoiding being below steep slopes will also be crucial.  

    An avalanche that failed in the new storm snow on December 26, 2025.

    Several natural and skier-triggered avalanches were reported across the Silver Valley-Bitterroots during the peak of snowfall. Similar conditions exist across all forecast zones.

    Photo: Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

Old Man Winter has made his return, and the mountains have greatly benefited from the new snow that started falling on December 26th. Storm totals across the zones range from nearly 1 to 2 feet, and temperatures continued to drop as the storm progressed. While this has made for improved ski conditions, it has always increased the avalanche hazard.

Several natural and skier-triggered avalanches were reported in the Silver Valley-Bitterroots yesterday, December 26th, that likely failed early on in the storm. These avalanches were reported below ridgeline, where strong winds from the southwest condensed the new snow into even deeper and more reactive slabs. Although these reports came from the southern end of the forecast area, they are representative of what conditions are like widespread across the region. Expect similar conditions today, with even larger storm slabs.

Our persistent slab problem is getting buried deeper in the snowpack, and even though we may see it start to trend to less reactive, there is still a worrisome array of weak grains surrounding multiple rain crusts. Under the presence of sustained cold temperatures this week, these layers will likely continue to facet and weaken. This is creating a setup for a less likely, but highly consequential situation. Due to the depth of the slabs above, an avalanche that fails within these weak grains would produce a large and dangerous sized avalanche that would be extremely difficult to escape.

As the sun makes a return today, don’t let a bluebird powder day lure you into a potentially dangerous situation. Approach the mountains with a conservative mindset and stick to it. Low angle slopes that are sheltered from the wind could offer up some excellent skiing and riding conditions. Allow the snowpack time to settle before stepping out onto or below slopes that are over 30 degrees.

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