Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

The avalanche danger is LOW,  but you'll want to watch for minor issues within the recent snow. Sensitive pockets of wind-drifted snow may be found near ridgelines—cracking in these drifts is an indication of instability. Small loose snow avalanches may be easy to trigger on very steep slopes, particularly where the sun is melting the snow surface. While triggering large avalanches that fail on deeper weak layers has become unlikely, the consequences would be grave. 

Your primary avalanche concerns today involve the 5-10 inches of snow that fell over the past week. Roughly half of this fell last weekend, with the other half falling on Thursday. Stiff, icy crusts underlie this recent snow on slopes that tilt towards the sun. Observations indicate that this recent snow has generally bonded well to the surfaces it fell on. Here's what to be looking for while you are out in the mountains today:

• WIND SLABS: Look for these along ridgelines and in cross-loaded gullies. Cracks shooting out from your skis, board, or machine are an indication that the slab you've found is not well-bonded. 
• WET LOOSE: Late-March sunshine is powerful and temperatures are warm here. Direct sun will melt the snow surfaces and bring on the possibility for wet loose avalanches. Intermittent cloud cover may limit the impacts of this problem, but if you're encountering a pile of wet snow on a steep slope, triggering these slides is possible. Most of the natural wet snow activity likely occurred Friday, but if today is warmer or sunnier than forecast you may see small, natural wet loose avalanches today. 
• DRY LOOSE: Thursday's storm sprinkled  3-6 inches of snow here. On shaded slopes, this new snow did not get cooked by yesterday's sun and you'll find soft skiing. You may also be able to trigger small, fast-moving sluffs if you are playing on slopes steeper than about 40 degrees. 

The three avalanche types described above will be fairly easy to identify and manage. These types of slides aren't likely to be large enough to bury you, the main hazard they present will be if they knock you off your feet or machine in unfriendly terrain. Deeper weak layers have had some time to rest, but are still worth considering in this zone. The most recently reported dry slab avalanches that failed on buried persistent weak layers near this zone occurred during the first two weeks of March. You can drastically reduce your risk of triggering a slide like this by steering clear of very steep, rocky, heavily wind-affected terrain. 

As the danger drops to LOW, many of us find ourselves drawn towards bigger, steeper, more complex terrain. When we head into this terrain, we enter a dangerous environment, even when the avalanche conditions are generally safe. Catching an edge, crossing your ski tips, or losing control of your machine on a steep, firm slope can all have severe consequences. This is also the type of terrain where you are most likely to trigger a small slide that can knock you off your feet. If this is the type of terrain you are headed for today, remember to keep things tight. Travel one at a time, keep your eyes on your partners, and make a plan for how to move safely through the terrain. Respect the environment you are traveling through and remember that avalanches are only one of the hazards you'll face today.