Avalanche forecast

Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

You're most likely to trigger 1-2 foot thick slab avalanches where recent winds have formed drifts or made the surface snow stiffer or harder than in protected areas. Avalanches may be triggered remotely—from below, above, and to the sides of steep slopes. 

Conditions are more dangerous in the snowier, western portions of this zone - areas where snow cover exists on even sunny aspects at all elevations. Read the Forecast Discussion below for details. 

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    On Friday, Soldier Mountain Cat Ski guides remotely-triggered an avalanche (photo here). Near Galena Summit on Saturday, skiers remotely triggered a 1.5-2' deep avalanche from low angled terrain (details, video here). On Sunday in the Pole Creek drainage, a group of riders remotely triggered an avalanche that buried the road they were riding on. This happened after the 4th rider had passed underneath the starting zone above. These avalanches give you an idea of what to expect in the northern and western portions of this zone and on wind-loaded slopes closer to Ketchum, Hailey, and Carey.

    Although we're several days out from receiving snowfall, the weak layer we're stuck with doesn't want to go to sleep. Which slopes will be easiest to trigger today?

    • Terrain where the wind has formed drifts or made the surface snow harder or stiffer. Watch for dunes, waves, or ripples on the snow surface to identify these areas.
    • Where the snowpack is over about 2 feet deep: slopes over about 35 degrees AND slopes over 30 degrees that are directly adjacent to or below slopes over 35 degrees. 

    How can we manage this persistent slab problem: sadly, by sticking to lower-angled terrain and steering clear of slopes with runout zones that have trees, rocks, or terrain traps. Given the possibility of remote-triggering slides, avoiding playing directly beneath avalanche starting zones also reduces the chances of getting in trouble. 

    (1/17/2021) This avalanche failed in the mountains above the Wood River Valley on a N facing slope at 8,000'. The culprit weak layer was the same weak, sugary snow that exists across our forecast areas. The slope had been heavily loaded by the winds of the past week.

Avalanche Discussion

Snowpack depths vary significantly across the Soldier & WRV zone. Unfortunately, a disturbing constant exists: weak, faceted snow in the middle and/or bottom of the snowpack. Snowfall over the past month has favored the western side of this zone (Soldier Mountains, Dollarhide Summit, S Fk Boise River). Here, the weak snow that developed in December is buried by a 1.5-2.5' thick slab of snow. On Friday, Soldier Mountain Cat Ski guides remotely-triggered an avalanche that appears to have failed on this weak snow (photo here). Avalanche conditions more closely resemble those in Baker Creek and near Galena Summit. 

Further east in this zone in the mountains above the Big Wood and Little Wood Rivers, a very thin snowpack exists (Scott's observation from Croy Canyon). While avalanches are less likely in the mountains near Ketchum, Hailey, and Carey, beware of slopes where the snowpack is more than a couple of feet deep. 

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