Soldier & Wood River Valley Mtns

Generally safe avalanche conditions exist, and large avalanches are unlikely. Be on the lookout for small, fresh wind drifts at upper elevations—especially in the Soldier Mtns. It would take a dose of bad luck, but there's a remote chance of triggering a large slide in very steep, rocky, wind-affected terrain. 

Generally stable conditions exist, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

• Fresh wind slabs: Soldier Mountain Cat Ski guides were able to ski release 4-8" thick wind slabs in very steep, upper elevation terrain this weekend. Strong NW-N-NE winds could continue sifting snow onto existing drifts and slabs. While small and isolated, any wind slabs you encounter could be enough to knock you off your feet or machine. The variable NW-N-NE winds may have formed slabs in unusual locations, including on aprons at the bottom of large cliff bands or steep faces. Watch for drifting and changes in the surface snow texture. If the snow surface gets stiff and supportable or you see cracks shooting out from your boards or skis, stick to gentle terrain.
• Weak snow near the ground: Weak, sugary snow exists at the base of the snowpack on shaded NW-N-NE-E facing slopes above about 8000'. It would take a dose of very bad luck to trigger a 2-5 foot thick slide on this layer, but the consequences would be severe. You're most likely to find both ingredients for a large persistent slab avalanche—the old October snow and a thick, dense slab above it—in the western part of this zone (Soldier Mtns and near Dollarhide Summit). If you're traveling in upper elevations in these areas or near the border of this zone, it's worth reading the Persistent Slab Problem discussion in the Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns zone forecast. 

Catch up on what happened (or didn't happen) this past week in Scott's latest Weekend Update.