Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Avalanche conditions are generally stable here and large avalanches are unlikely. If you did trigger a slide today, it would be in steep, rocky, thinly covered upper elevation terrain where the wind has sculpted the snow. Small stiffened pockets and loose snow can run on the slick surfaces of steep slopes, knocking you off your feet above cliffs or other consequential terrain. Triggering a sizeable slide is unlikely but not impossible, and other mountain hazards exist other than avalanches. Continue to practice safe travel techniques, and evaluate the snow and terrain you are moving through. 

Today the Avalanche Danger drops to LOW in this zone for the first time this season. While LOW  danger indicates generally stable conditions, there are still issues in the snowpack you should expect to encounter and manage through safe travel practices and terrain selection. There are three flavors on the menu today:

ON TOP: This past Saturday brought 4-6 inches of fresh snow to the upper reaches of the mountains, accompanied by shifting SE-S-SW to N-NW winds. This combination deposited isolated, relatively small pockets of wind drifted snow in upper elevation terrain on varying aspects. While these have proven to be quite shallow and not extend out much farther than observers' skis in recent days, triggering one of these remains possible. Loose snow that was not affected by the wind lives on slick, icy surfaces that would produce sluffs in steep terrain. While small, both of these types of issues has the potential to knock you off of your feet. If you find yourself in steep, confined, and / or alpine terrain, analyze the consequences of being sent head first down the slope, against a rock wall, or over a cliff. Be aware of managing these issues before entering this terrain. 

DOWN BELOW: Weak layers are still buried under slabs in the upper portion of the snowpack. These have had some time to rest, water has moved through the snowpack, and triggering a Persistent Slab avalanche involving them is unlikely. Unlikely, but not impossible. Your first sign of instability involving these weak layers would be the large avalanche you trigger. These slides may break well above you on the slope and fail widely. You can dramatically reduce your risk of encountering a slide like this by steering clear of very steep, rocky, heavily wind-affected terrain. If you choose to enter avalanche terrain, you are accepting the unlikely risk of triggering one of these slides. 

ALL AROUND: The shift to springtime weather and increased stability isn't just changing our travel plans — the mountains are changing too. Hazards other than avalanches will always exist in the hills, and the more aware of them we are the better we can mitigate them and understand the risks we are taking. As snow and ice melt, rocks that were held in place on ridgelines and the sides of couloirs become loose and have the potential to break free. The chance of rockfall increases as the day warms, but it is possible anytime. If you are at the base of a chute or couloir placing your skis on your pack to begin bootpacking, take a moment to pause. Don your helmet and evaluate your timing / any overhead hazard before entering confined terrain underneath large rocky features. If there is a party well above or below you, consider complications that could arise if one party knocked either snow or rocks loose, dropped an item, or lost their footing in steep terrain. Always try to communicate before entering this terrain behind another party — check out this article about the ethics of an incident involving multiple parties in the Sliver Couloir in the Tetons if you want more food for thought here. As temperatures rise, be aware of cornices weakening, and give them wide berths. Snow bridges will also be weakening over creek crossings. Sagging depressions near valley bottoms are suspect to provide a surprise swim if you find yourself over them during the heat of the day. 

Today is going to be a lovely, glorious spring day to go for a walk in the mountains. LOW danger after a season of patience is easy to misconstrue in our steep-slope-deprived brains as hazard-free. No day is hazard free in the mountains, from avalanches or otherwise. Follow safe travel practices, ski / cross large slopes one at a time, keep an eye on one another, make a plan of how to ski a line at the top, and remember that there are still issues to manage in the snowpack. Have fun, be safe, ski / ride down a slope with a smile on your face and wind on your cheeks — then tuck into your safe spot, and keep eyes on your partner as they do the same.