Avalanche forecast

Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Above freezing temperatures at lower and middle elevations make wet snow avalanches possible today.  Be alert to changing conditions throughout the day and changing conditions as you travel through the elevation bands. Look for isolated, thin pockets of wind-drifted snow in upper elevation and alpine terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    The lower and middle elevation snowpack in this zone is warm and wet. Two consecutive nights without a good freeze are bringing wet snow avalanches to the table. These types of slides start at a point and fan out as they travel downslope. They can get large quickly and can be destructive thanks to the density of the water-laden snow. Initially, these slides may only involve the upper snow, but as melt-water penetrates the snowpack they will become larger and gouge deeper into the snowpack. These slides can be dangerous even in small terrain—debris can pile up deeply in terrain traps like creek bottoms and steep road cuts. Monitor the snowpack you are traveling through. If you are finding wet, slushy snow more than a few inches deep, these types of avalanches will be possible.

    Be alert to the terrain you are traveling through and the terrain above you. If you are playing up high during the day, remember that you will have to exit through soggy lower elevation terrain to get back to your vehicle at the end of the day. 

    ADDITIONAL DISCUSSIONKeep your eyes peeled for small, isolated wind slabs in terrain exposed to the wind. Although this zone has little snow to blow around, moderate to strong W-SW winds blowing over the past few days may have formed a fresh round of small, dense wind slabs. Use caution where you find signs of fresh wind loading: denser/stiffer surface snow, wind texture, and cracks shooting out from your skis or machine. You are more likely to trigger these fresher drifts, but you may find isolated, older wind slabs that are still sensitive—especially where they've formed atop weak faceted snow or slick, icy crusts. It's very difficult to evaluate which older slabs are still sensitive, and which are not. If you choose to travel in wind-exposed and alpine terrain, to some extent you need to accept the possibility of popping out a small wind slab—which makes paying attention to the consequences of getting surprised all the more important.

Avalanche Discussion

CHANGING WEATHER, CHANGING SNOWPACK, CHANGING MINDSET

In our northern mountains, rain is falling at lower and middle elevations and dense, wet snow is falling above this. In our southern mountains, very little precipitation is falling, but warm air temperatures and significant amounts of ambient solar radiation are causing melting in the snowpack. We are coming out of a period of LOW danger that has stretched on for over a month. Today is different. Many of us (myself included!) have been traveling through the mountains with an "open season" mindset, which has been a real treat. But conditions are changing and the way we move through the mountains needs to change as well. Take some time today to think about how you are traveling in the mountains and the hazards you are exposing yourself to. Pay attention to terrain traps like creek beds, road cuts, and gullies. In these areas, debris from even small avalanches can pile up deeply. As you move up through the elevation bands, prepare to encounter changing avalanche problems. Down low you'll be dealing with wet snow problems, up high you'll be dealing with wind slab problems, and in between, you might be dealing with odd combinations of the two. Create some broader safety margins for yourself today to help address some of this uncertainty. And don't forget to pack your rain jacket.

Regions covered