Avalanche forecast

The Avalanche Hazard is LOW with mostly stable snow conditions across the PAC advisory area.  A dusting of new snow will be found throughout the advisory area today. You may encounter small wind slabs or pockets of wind deposited snow at or near ridgelines, these are likely to be thin and may or may not be reactive to the weight of a skier or snowmobile.  Small, loose snow avalanches in steep, wind-protected terrain are likely also.  Please remember that Low Hazard does not mean no hazard,  even small avalanches can have negative outcomes in committing terrain or in terrain traps.

Today's advisory is sponsored by CM Rentals and Adventures, Thank you for supporting the Payette Avalanche Center.

The storms that are entering our area recently continue to be underwhelming and have not added much new snow or changed the conditions dramatically, although there is still good skiing and riding to be found in sheltered areas.  Last night we picked up another dusting of very light density snow which won't change conditions much today.  Next week looks like the pattern change that will likely change conditions and increase the avalanche hazard. 

Right now shallow avalanche problems continue to be a consideration.  You may encounter thin, sensitive pockets of windblown snow(wind slabs) near ridges or on exposed terrain features.  Based on the amount of wind we have had over the last few weeks, it is definitely something to think about as you travel, especially if you are in steep leeward terrain.  Having the rug yanked out from under you in committing terrain could have a bad outcome.  Sluffing or dry loose avalanches are more likely and should be anticipated in all steep, shaded, wind-protected areas.  The snow that we have received over the last week and a half has started to bond more to the old snow and crusts below but is still moving on steeper terrain as you ski or ride.  Similar to the wind slab concern, these won't likely be big enough to bury you but they may push you around or send you off course.  You may see an increase in natural sluffing or point releases in steep rocky areas today and tomorrow as the sun warms up the light density snow.

Overall, our current snowpack is pretty solid with weak layers confined to the upper foot.  The new snow is bonding to the crust below in most places, it has also settled into about 6-8 inches of mostly unconsolidated snow(no slab formation). Sun and wind-protected slopes are skiing and riding surprisingly well with soft, light snow.  Predictably, we were able to trigger small, fast sluffs on steep, protected slopes while we were enjoying some steep powder turns in the 8302 area yesterday.   South facing and other solar aspects are starting to show faceting under the crust, especially in shallow rocky areas.  On a steep, SW facing slope we found a breakable, rotten crust with a very weak layer of snow below it.  Sunny slopes are going to get pretty interesting when we start getting snow next week. One thing to remember about a low tide/high pressure dominated winter is that it does create a lot of variability in the snowpack and a variety of snow surface conditions, if we get back into the storm track next week, conditions could get spicy pretty quickly on all slopes.

The February water report came out this week too, it shows the Payette Basin and the Salmon Basin holding pretty strong just below and right around 90 of average(see the graphic below).  Weather models are mostly in agreement that March will bring more precipitation than we have had in January and February but amounts are still up in the air.  If we don't see accumulations over the next month, our water report for March will show significant decreases compared to the average totals.

One of our sponsors, OnXBackcountry has partnered with the Payette Avalanche Center. For each membership purchased with promo codePAYETTE20 for onX Backcountry or PAYETTESLEDS20 for onX Offroad you get a 20% discount. Plus, a 20% donation goes back to the Payette Avalanche Center upon purchase, so you’ll be directly supporting avalanche forecasts. 

*** Check out our Observations Page to see what others are seeing...We are always looking for more Information from snowmobilers and skiers on snow and weather conditions. These observations help our forecasts and they help other users in and outside of the community. It can be quick with or without a photo…Use the Observations link at the top of the page to submit your observations. 

***Motorized users, please be aware that there are some areas of the Payette National Forest that are closed to motorized use, some of these closures are to protect wildlife and some are to protect other recreators.  If you are using Gaia or OnX you can download a layer called snowmobile trails that shows groomed routes and motorized closures.  Check out the Winter Travel Map below for details

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd891395.pdf