Bulletin d’avalanche

Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Danger d’avalanche

Mon
Alpin
1 · Faible
Limite forestière
1 · Faible
Sous la limite
1 · Faible
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Périmé — ce bulletin a expiré last year. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

Triggering a large avalanche is unlikely. If you were to find trouble, it would probably be on very steep slopes on the northern part of the compass. Small wet loose avalanches are possible on sun drenched slopes that are sheltered from the wind.  

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Unlikely
    Taille
    2–2.5

    It's been about two weeks since the last large slab avalanche ocurred in this zone. Triggering a big slide on weak snow buried in February is unlikely but can't be completely ruled out. Before triggering an avalanche, you're unlikely to experience obvious signs of instability like snowpack cracking or collapsing. You are most likely to trigger a slide where:

    • Any part of the slope you are on or connected to is steeper than about 35 degrees
    • The snowpack is relatively shallow - where the wind frequently blows, you ma be able to trigger an avalanche where the slab is not uniformly thick
    • The slope faces the northern 2/3 of the compass

    The eastern part of this zone has a thinner, weaker snowpack—and a better chance of triggering an avalanche—than the Smoky Mtns and Galena Summit area.

    (2/26/2025) Large slab avalanche on Boulder Peak, Boulder Mountains. SE @ 10,000'. Photo: Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

If you're planning to play in very steep terrain: 

  • Wet Loose avalanches: Friday, riders in the Sawtooths observed a decent-sized wet loose slide while riding near Alturas Lake. Today's expected breezy winds should keep most sun-drenched slopes from getting too wet and sloppy, but natural wet loose slides aren't out of the question. You can hedge your bets by not lingering under very steep, wind-sheltered slopes basking in unobscured sun—especially later in the day.
  • Wind Slab avalanches: Isolated wind slabs formed several days ago. The slabs are weathered and generally difficult to trigger, but they deserve respect in extreme terrain. 
  • Cornices: There are some monster cornices out there, and many are sagging due to the warm temperatures. Almost every long-time avalanche professional has a story about a cornice unexpectedly breaking under their feet or behind them. Be careful while traveling near large cornices, and minimize the time you spend in consequential terrain directly below them. 

Régions couvertes