Avalanche forecast

Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
No rating
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Highlights

Dangerous conditions exist. You can trigger a large avalanche on many slopes where the wind formed drifts or stiffened the snow surface. Triggering avalanches is also possible on steep slopes that are sheltered from the wind. You may be able to trigger slides remotely—from flat terrain below, above, and to the sides of steep slopes.The most dangerous conditions exist in the western half of this zone and along the northern border, the Warm Springs Ck drainage, and the mountains north and east of Ketchum.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    You're most likely to trigger a wide, 1.5-4 foot thick slab avalanche on steep slopes that tilt away from the afternoon sun (NW-N-NE-E-SE) where you find wind drifts, slabs, or wind-stiffened snow at the surface. Avalanches could fail on multiple weak layers (facets, surface hoar, crusts + facets or surface hoar) buried by the series of February storms. While wind-loaded terrain is most widespread at upper elevations, Wednesday's strong W-NW winds formed slabs or stiff snow surfaces on more middle and lower elevation slopes than usual.

    Persistent Slab avalanches can release in surprising ways:

    •  They can be much wider than expected (view many recent examples here).
    • They can break above you and pull into relatively gentle terrain.
    • You can trigger them remotely—from flat terrain below, above, and to the sides of steep slopes.  

    Unfortunately, the best way to avoid trouble is to give avalanche terrain a wide berth. This includes gentler terrain below and above steep slopes. 

    Additional Discussion: Whether a weak layer exists or not, the combination of recent snowfall and moderate to strong winds formed slabs that may remain sensitive to your weight. Watch for dunes, waves, and textured surfaces created by wind.  Feel for stiff slabs overlying weaker or softer snow. These often form near exposed ridgelines. These smaller wind slabs, once moving, are an effective trigger for the larger Persistent Slab avalanches described above.

    (2/21/2026) A large natural avalanche in Smoky Dome's North bowl. SE @ 9,500'.

    Photo: Soldier Mtn Cat Ski

Avalanche Discussion

Earlier this week, new snow and strong winds overloaded buried weak layers, pushing them past their breaking point. Over the past several days, we’ve observed more than 100 natural avalanches and a handful of remote-triggered slides (view chart and Avalanche occurrences). With this much evidence, there is little uncertainty about the snowpack’s stability– conditions are sketchy. 

Three weak layers are buried within the upper 1-3 feet of the snowpack. We’ve seen avalanches fail on all three within the past week. The most likely terrain for similar slides is middle and upper elevation slopes facing NW–N–NE–E–SE, though sunny aspects cannot yet be ruled out.

  • On shaded slopes (NW–N–NE–E), you’re most likely to encounter buried surface hoar 1-2 feet deep and/or weak faceted snow 2-2.5 feet deep. The majority of recent avalanches have likely failed on one of these layers.
  • On slopes facing the sun (SE-SW–W), crust/facet combinations exist 1–2 feet below the surface and remain capable of producing avalanches.

While overlapping weak layers can seem complex, the overall structure is relatively simple: most slopes harbor the ingredients for slab avalanches, with 1-3 foot thick slabs resting on weak, faceted snow.

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