Sawtooth & Western Smoky Mtns

Mostly stable conditions exist, and large avalanches are unlikely. You could trigger isolated, thin pockets of wind-drifted snow in upper elevation and alpine terrain. Today's warmer temperatures are likely to produce small, natural loose snow sluffs on very steep slopes that face the sun.

While the avalanche danger is LOW and large avalanches are unlikely, triggering a small avalanche remains a possibility. Mostly stable conditions can be a double-edged sword: it allows us to enjoy steeper and more consequential terrain, but in these areas, triggering even a small avalanche can be very dangerous. Here are a couple of problems to keep in mind (watch Ethan describe them in this video):

WIND SLABS: Continue to watch for small, isolated wind slabs at upper elevations. A few inches of new snow and wind formed a fresh round of wind slabs Wednesday into Thursday, especially in our northern mountains where a bit more snow fell. Ben found small but sensitive drifts in the Sawtooths yesterday—again, nothing that would bury you but large enough to knock you off your feet. Near Galena Peak yesterday, I found fresh wind slabs but they were only a few inches thick. At upper elevations, watch for typical signs of fresh wind loading: denser/stiffer surface snow, wind texture, and cracks shooting out from your skis or machine.

A bit more insidious are the older slabs formed by wind events over the past few weeks. Surface evidence of older wind slabs is now masked by several inches of recent snowfall. Most of these will not be reactive to your weight, but there are a few lurking out there that formed atop weak faceted snow or slick, icy crusts. Wednesday, a very small skier-triggered wind slab occurred near Galena Summit (photo), and other "surprise" wind slabs were triggered over the past few weeks. It's very difficult to evaluate which older slabs are still sensitive, and which are not. If you choose to travel in wind-exposed and alpine terrain, to some extent you need to accept the possibility of popping out a small wind slab—which makes paying attention to the consequences of getting surprised all the more important.

LOOSE SNOW (SLUFFS):Sunshine and warmer temperatures today are likely to produce small loose snow avalanches in very steep, rocky terrain that faces the sun. With the recent snowfall sitting atop slick crusts, some of these may run further than expected. Observers have also been reporting "sluffy" conditions in steep, shady terrain—especially where newer snow sits atop weak, sugary facets. 

Catch up on the past week in Ben's latest Weekend Update!