Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Mostly stable conditions exist, and large avalanches are unlikely. You could trigger isolated, thin pockets of wind-drifted snow in upper elevation and alpine terrain. Loose snow sluffs are possible on very steep slopes.

This zone has been missed by the majority of the recent snowfall. The avalanche danger is LOW and there are no clearly defined avalanche problems in this zone. While large avalanches are unlikely, triggering a small avalanche remains a possibility. Here are a couple of problems to keep in mind:

WIND SLABS: Keep your eyes peeled for small, isolated wind slabs in terrain exposed to the wind. Although this zone has little snow to blow around, increased moderate to strong W-SW winds blowing over the past 48 hours may have formed a fresh round of small 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. Saturday, skiers in the Pole Creek drainage (in the Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns zone) triggered two very small wind slabs (photo)—nothing that would bury you but large enough to knock you off your feet. Yesterday, a very small natural avalanche was reported near Galena Summit and skiers on Titus Ridge produced some very small avalanches by stomping fresh wind deposits along ridgelines. 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.

LOOSE SNOW (SLUFFS):Observers have also been reporting "sluffy" conditions on very steep, shady slopes.  In this zone these slides are likely to take the form of "facet-laches", loose snow slides made entirely out of the facets. Though small, this type of slide can pack a punch—facets are quite dense.

Above-freezing temperatures and direct sunshine may increase the likelihood of encountering wet, loose snow avalanches today. Many slopes that directly face the sun here have already lost their snow cover, but some have not. If the snow is getting wet and slushy be mindful of the terrain you are in at the terrain above you.

Curious about what's been happening in our snowpack? Catch up on what happened this past week in my latest Weekend Update!