Avalanche forecast

Avalanche forecast

Payette Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago.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

Highlights

Use caution as human-triggered avalanches are possible in wind-loaded terrain.

The upper 8-12" of the snowpack is soft and can move with you on steep slopes. 20-30mph Winds out of the South and Southeast have created slabs in leeward terrain. Dry-loose avalanches could pose a problem in confined, steep, exposed, or consequential terrain.

Use good travel protocols like keeping your eyes on your partners and only exposing 1 person at a time on slopes steeper than 35 degrees. 

Today's Advisory is sponsored by Tamarack Resort.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    The wind gusted out of the South and Southeast yesterday above 20 mph providing face shots in some turns while transporting snow. Active slab formation and transport was observed on Notherly and Westerly aspects.  

    Use caution and look for signs of drifting indicators of wind direction/loading as local terrain may influence loading in unusual ways on other aspects. If you are seeing recent avalanches or other red flags like cracking choose a different aspect.

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    The possibility of getting the upper 8-12+ inches of new snow of the upper snowpack is possible in terrain steeper than 35 degrees. If are riding or sliding in exposed, or extreme terrain this may be enough snow moving around to knock you off course and into bad places like rocks and cliffs.

    The higher you get the more snow and the potential for this problem will increase. Use good spacing on steep shady aspects and slough management techniques.

Avalanche Discussion

Our snowpack is shallow in most places and still non-existent on lower solar aspects where rain and above normal temps have saturated the snowpack and have kept early season conditions a player thus far. Cool temps early in October and November created weak snow near the ground that has some strong snow above it. Triggering this weak snow near the ground is very unlikely and is only a possibility in very shallow, steep spots that would likely be rocky and unsupported at the bottom.

We have not had test results or avalanches near the ground since December, yet the poor structure of strong over weak snow is the basic makeup of our snowpack. Our most recent slab avalanche cycle which happened a week and a half ago now on a layer of facets and buried surface hoar from late December has gained a lot of strength and is not producing results in our stability tests. 

Below 7,500' the snowpack is beginning to refreeze and gain more strength. 

Check out the New beacon park North of McCal that the Friends of the Payette Avalanche Center, FPAC, and Volunteer Brian Peters installed recently!