Bollettino valanghe

Banner Summit

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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Non aggiornato — questo bollettino è scaduto 8 months ago. Stai vedendo condizioni passate, non il bollettino in corso.

In sintesi

Triggering an avalanche is most likely as you climb into exposed, windy terrain with variable snow depths. Avoid slopes with stiff, wind-drifted snow at the surface.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Recent strong winds formed cohesive slabs up to 3 feet thick in upper and some middle elevation locations. Watch for smooth pillows, dunes, and large wind features below ridgelines as well as on the sides of cross-loaded gullies. Harder slabs may feel hollow and sound like a drum as you move across them. 

    Thankfully, wind slabs are generally easy to identify and avoid. Feeling for stiff snow under your boards or machine, and cracks shooting out ahead of you, are an obvious sign that you've found a wind slab. Hard wind slabs behave unpredictably; they can break above you and wider than expected.

    (12/28/2025)

    A natural large wind slab avalanche and widespread wind-affected snow surfaces up in the Southern Sawtooth Range.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Unlikely
    Dimensione
    2–3

    Triggering a large persistent slab avalanche may be unlikely, but the consequences remain quite high. Unfortunately, the snowpack has weak interfaces both in the upper half (mostly around crusts) and more deeply buried (weak sugary facets) that avalanched naturally during the snowfall and wind events a few days ago. These lingering weak layers take time to heal. 

    Direct feedback from the snowpack (such as cracking and collapsing) continues to decrease, and it feels as though we've entered that liminal space where the first sign of instability you may receive is triggering a large avalanche. These destructive avalanches are most likely to be triggered in windy and/or rocky areas where the snowpack depth is variable and in more sheltered terrain where the snowpack depth is around 3 feet deep (like we found yesterday outside Baldy). Avoidance is still the best option to reduce your risk, especially on wind-loaded slopes. Assume the slab + potential weak layer setup exists on all slopes until you dig in the snow to prove otherwise.

    (12/28/2025)

    Paradise Peak and West Fork Big Creek large natural avalanches

    Photo: Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

Recent winds have played a major role in most of the avalanches we've observed in this zone over the past few days. Above about 8000', look for hard slabs, scoured slopes, and overbuilt wind whales in exposed terrain. The snowpack is expected to behave unpredictably in these windier environments. While the chances of triggering an avalanche may be (slowly) decreasing and the signs of instability may be less frequent, the consequences of slab avalanches remain high.

Regioni coperte