Bollettino valanghe

Sawtooth & Western Smoky Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Wed
Alta quota
2 · Moderato
Limite del bosco
2 · Moderato
Sotto il limite
1 · Debole
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In sintesi

Triggering a wet snow avalanche remains possible on sunny slopes, especially later in the day when the snow surface becomes moist. Avoid traveling in areas where you sink into a mushy, wet snowpack to keep out of harm's way. On colder, shadier slopes with wind-affected surfaces, triggering a large slab avalanche is not out of the question.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Loose Wet

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Possible
    Dimensione
    1–2

    Two varieties of wet snow avalanches are possible on steep, wind-sheltered slopes once surface crusts turn mushy:

    1. Wet Loose:  These avalanches are most likely during the heat of the day on slopes that face the sun. They often initiate near the bases of trees, rocks, and cliffs. Although slow-moving, these avalanches are surprisingly powerful and difficult to escape. They may also trigger larger wet slab avalanches (example) as they move downhill.
    2. Wet Slab: These large avalanches are unpredictable. They release as buried weak layers become wet. We anticipate these avalanches to break 1-4 feet thick, creating a dangerous, likely unsurvivable avalanche. They can break widely and without warning. The only way to reduce your risk is to avoid traveling on or under steep slopes. 

    Additional Discussion - Cornices: Avoid large, overhanging cornices. The heat will cause these to sag and break. Scary in their own right, they also serve as excellent triggers for the two wet avalanche concerns described above. 

    Large Wet Loose avalanche in the Northern Sawtooths near Williams Peak. NE 9000'.

    Photo: Sawtooth Avalanche Center

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Unlikely
    Dimensione
    1.5–2

    Although unlikely, you could trigger a dry slab avalanche at upper elevations. Look for this problem near and just below exposed ridgelines and along cross-loaded mid-slope gullies and in cirques below steep faces, large cliff bands, and chutes. 

    Recent cornice growth, pillows, and dunes are all clues that wind was at work moving snow.  Cracking and collapsing are sure indications that you've found a sensitive slab.

    These avalanches may break more deeply or widely than expected, as the slab may be resting on buried weak layers (sugary facets, surface hoar, and crust + facet combinations)—particularly on NW, N, NE, and E facing slopes.

    (3/22/2026)

    Old crown of a slab avalanche in the Bench Lakes area of the Sawtooth Range.

Avalanche Discussion

Expect to find a refrozen snow surface this morning if you head into the mountains, but don’t bank on it remaining frozen all day. Be aware of your exposure to terrain traps if entering steeper terrain as the snow surface softens. Although much of the natural wet-loose avalanche activity has passed, triggering one of these slides could knock you off your feet and carry you where you don’t want to go.

Although recent cooler temperatures slowed the meltwater production at the surface of the snowpack, they haven't stopped the movement of water within the snowpack. Wet slabs are unpredictable and can occur days after a warm-up, leaving us with some unknowns. We haven't seen widespread evidence of wet slab avalanches, but that doesn't mean we are out of the woods yet, and natural or human-triggered avalanches aren't totally out of the question.

To reduce your risk of triggering a large wet snow avalanche, plan to start and end your day early before the upper snowpack becomes wet and unsupportable.

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