Avalanche forecast

East Cabinet Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
4 · High
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

Wet loose avalanches that are large enough to bury a human will continue to be easily triggered today. Avalanche hazard will remain HIGH throughTuesday on slopes that are exposed to the sun.  Minimize your exposure to this hazard by travelling on ridgelines and avoid being in or below terrain that is steeper than 30 degrees. Avoid stopping or travelling in avalanche run-out paths today as larger slab avalanches are becoming more likely each day with continued warm temperatures.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    1–2

    The sun will be out in full force today with temperatures at upper elevations predicted to reach the 50's. With abundant amounts of soft snow on the snowpack surface it is very likely that wet loose avalanches will be releasing naturally today and will be large enough to bury a skier or snowmobiler. While these loose avalanches are often perceived as relatively harmless, we need to give them a little more respect right now as they will be large enough to bury and injure a rider. You can avoid wet loose avalanches today by avoiding slopes exposed to the sun, especially in the afternoon hours. On Monday we observed multiple avalanches release in steep terrain that had exposed cliffs and rock bands, exposed rock outcropping gather heat and cause additional melting, thus weakening the snowpack. Safer conditions will be found in terrain that is north facing or shaded in low angle timber today.

    Photo: Ben Bernall

  • Glide Cracks

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3.5

    Overnight temperatures at upper elevations failed to drop back below the freezing mark the past few days and today's high temps at upper elevations will again climb back up into the 50's. This will continue to weaken the snowpack and increase the likelihood of failure in locations where the snowpack is resting on bed rock or grassy slopes. With free water now percolating through the snowpack "glide cracks" can be seen on most aspects and have been failing. These climax avalanches and deeper failures are difficult to predict and can only be managed by avoiding steep terrain today as the continued warm temperatures will continue to push them towards failure today.

    (3/18/2024) Photo: Ben Bernall

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1

    Winds that blew during our previous storms have built large cornices overhanging ridgelines on north and east aspects. Many of them have started to fail and break off, often cornice fall is the trigger that creates larger avalanches deeper in the snowpack. Again, this is a problem that may be difficult to predict and can only be managed by avoidance. Give slopes with large overhanging cornices a wide berth until our snowpack refreezes.

Avalanche Discussion

On Monday we toured into the East Cabinets to watch some avalanches run in the sunshine. We chose a safe ridgeline approach to gain elevation and found a location where we could observe the effects that the sun and warm temperatures have had on the snowpack. We were not surprised to find wet loose avalanches running off of steep terrain in locations with exposed rock outcroppings that were being cooked in the sun. We also observed the remnants of multiple "climax avalanches" and numerous glide cracks appearing in the snowpack that were evidence of a cohesive snowpack that is becoming more prone to fail on the ground as continued warm temperatures cause free water to lubricate the bed surface under the snowpack. We were surprised to find that there was very little evidence of crown lines showing avalanches to be failing within the layers of the snowpack. Avalanches were being produced in the loose snow close to the surface, or all the way to the ground. There were some signs of cornice failures triggering older wind slabs below ridgelines, but no avalanches were observed that had failed on the early February crust layer.

Spring like avalanche problems like wet loose avalanches, cornice fall and glide cracks producing avalanches on the ground will continue to be an issue in steep and mountainous terrain on Tuesday. On Wednesday we will see some cloud cover roll in and reduce the temperatures and the avalanche potential, although it doesn't look like it will refreeze until Wednesday night. By Thursday we should see temperatures low enough to freeze the upper snowpack back together and lock in some lower avalanche danger later in the week.

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