Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Most of this zone lacks enough snow to make avalanches. If you're searching out snowier terrain in the Soldiers and the South Fk of the Boise River drainage, refer to the Galena Summit and Eastern Mtns forecast. In areas with an established snowpack, triggering 1-2 foot thick slab avalanches failing on weak snow near the ground remains a possibility.

We will begin issuing Daily Avalanche Forecasts with danger ratings for this zone when snow cover increases. 

Snow coverage is still quite thin in this zone. Slopes at lower elevations were brown before last night's dusting of snow. As you climb you'll find more snow, but in most places, this is barely covering the ground. The western portion of this zone (Soldiers and South Fk of the Boise) has received more snow, but you'll have to deal with some scrappy coverage to get up to. If you choose to do so, prepare to change your mindset as you enter a snowier, more hazardous environment. You'll go from dodging stumps and logs to having to manage the possibility of triggering a large persistent slab avalanche (while dodging stumps and logs). 

Where you are finding enough snow for skiing and riding you are almost certainly finding a slope with older, weak snow at the base of the snowpack. Take a minute to think about the consequences of being caught in a slide in the terrain you are in. Being caught and carried through exposed rocks, logs, stumps, and trees rarely ends well.

Have you been out playing in this zone? Submit an Observation, email us ([email protected]), or text us (208-481-5921), we'd love to hear from you.