Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Generally safe avalanche conditions exist. Thin wind drifts that formed in exposed, upper elevation terrain yesterday may continue to be touchy. Be on the lookout for loose snow avalanches in steep terrain at all elevations.

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The snowpack in our forecast area is generally stable, but there are a few isolated hazards to be aware of. Some of these are related to the new snow that arrived yesterday, and some are related to the weak snowpack that developed during the extended drought we just experienced:

NEW SNOWYesterday's storm brought 1-3" of snow to this zone. Winds were most intense in this zone, particularly in the Soldier Mountains. During the storm they blew out of the SE-S-SW and then switched to blowing out of the NW overnight. These winds built thin slabs in exposed upper elevation terrain. Because they were a bit stronger here they may have built some slabs at middle elevations as well. These slabs were built on a variety of weak surfaces which may make them a bit touchy today. Be on the lookout for these slabs at upper elevations where the wind is most pronounced. Keep a close eye on the surface of the snow: textures like ripples and dunes are great indicators that the wind has been at work. Even though these slabs are small, if you encounter one in steep terrain they can push you into places you don't want to go. If you trigger one it may also be able to entrain some of the weak snow it is sitting on, as described below.

OLD SNOWThe weeks of dry weather, cool temperatures, and strong temperature inversions have left their mark on the snowpack. Our once strong and stable snowpack has weakened significantly. When I talked with Chris last night, we both remarked at how impressively weak and cohesionless the surface snow has become. In fact, it is so weak that it is struggling to stay attached to the slopes it is resting on. On Saturday, a skier near Galena Summit was able to trigger a small, loose snow avalanche involving this cohesionless snow. My partner and I were able to trigger similar slides yesterday, even at lower elevations on treed slopes. Watch this video I took in the Sawtooths on Saturday to get a sense of just how weak this snow has become. 

In upper elevation terrain that faces away from the sun, remnant snow from October is buried at the base of the snowpack. These videos from the White Clouds and from Frenchman's Creek near the Salmon Headwaters do a good job of illustrating the problem. We've been on the hunt for this snow over the past few weeks and have found it in many locations. Without a stiff slab of snow on top of it, triggering an avalanche on this layer is unlikely, but the resulting slide would be unsurvivable. This low probability but high consequence hazard has kept me out of the terrain where it can be found.

LOW danger and no danger are different things. Just as dry roads don't make it is safe to drive 130 MPH, low danger doesn't mean that there are no avalanche hazards in the mountains. What's more, some of the hazards out there are a  bit unusual and you might not be used to dealing with them. Consider all of these factors when making your decisions in the mountains today, we've got a long winter ahead of us.