Bollettino valanghe

Salmon River Mountains

Payette Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Sun
Alta quota
3 · Marcato
Limite del bosco
3 · Marcato
Sotto il limite
1 · Debole
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In sintesi

Dangerous avalanche conditions exist & the snowpack remains sketchy. Triggering an avalanche that fails on weak snow buried 2+' deep remains likely on many slopes, particularly above 7,000' in wind-drifted terrain. Avalanches may be triggered in unexpected ways—from below, above, or to the sides of steep slopes. Large, fresh avalanches continue to be observed daily.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Possible
    Dimensione
    2–2.5

    There are two persistent weak layers of concern in our snowpack:

    1. A thick layer of surface hoar (plus or minus a crust, depending on your aspect and elevation) buried about 2' deep. This layer formed during several days of dry weather in early February and was quickly loaded [and preserved] with some snowfall. It appears to be responsible for a large portion of the recent avalanche activity in both zones & was likely the culprit in a remotely triggered slide near Frog Lake, which stepped down to layer #2 below.] 2 feet deep is the ideal triggering depth: thin enough in many areas for a human to trigger, but thick enough to produce large and dangerous avalanches. 
    2. Our well-known January drought snow, buried 3' deep or more. In contrast to the weak layer mentioned above, this layer formed over a long period (3+ weeks) and was loaded very slowly. Now that it's deeply buried, it's behaving more like a deep slab problem. In other words, incredibly difficult to trigger unless you trigger an avalanche in the snow above it, and with severe consequences if you do. Avalanches on this old snow have only been observed to break near the topmost part of the layer, and for the most part, it remains fairly strong compared to the layer above. 

    Despite the lack of recent loading, we continue to see evidence that the snowpack remains dangerous. It should be noted that most avalanches have been observed above the 7,000' rain line. 

    The ongoing signs of instability make it clear that the risk of triggering an avalanche in steep terrain remains unacceptably high. You can reduce the odds by avoiding slopes over about 35 degrees, especially those that have been affected by the wind. Pay attention to what's below you—look for trees, rocks, gullies, and other terrain traps. Given the possibility of remote-triggering slides, avoid terrain with steep slopes above you.  

    (2/26/2026) 

    Two days ago, riders remotely triggered this avalanche near Frog Lake north of McCall.

  • Wind Slabs

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

    The strong W/SW flow aloft continue to hammer the snowpack. Hard slabs of recent snowfall exist above 7,500'.  From an avalanche danger perspective, the larger concern is the additional loading on the persistent weak layers described above. These will be most common and dangerous along upper elevation ridgelines and in alpine terrain. Any wind slab you trigger could step down into the buried weak layers, creating a much larger persistent slab avalanche.

Avalanche Discussion

Just about everywhere we look, we see avalanches that failed during, and after, our last storm. The snowpack is relatively simple in our region this season, but it sure isn't what we'd hoped for. I say that it is simple because it can be easily summed up in a sentence or two: Several layers of weak snow now sit beneath a 1-3' thick slab. The most sensitive layer sits around 2' deep: thin enough in many areas to be likely to trigger, but thick enough to produce large and dangerous avalanches. See, simple. 

The travel advice is also pretty simple right now. Avoid steep slopes where this weak snow exists and wind-loaded, upper-elevation slopes. Unfortunately, this weak snow exists on most upper-elevation slopes in both zones. See, also simple. And quite unsatisfying.

So what can we do? I'd challenge you to consider this a learning opportunity. Use it to learn about snow and the mountains where you live. With no clear answer about how much the snowpack can stabilize day-to-day without any changes in weather, we need to offset the uncertainty with a healthy margin of safety in our terrain choices. In simple terms, this means continuing to choose conservative, lower-angled terrain that isn't threatened by steep slopes from above. There is an abundance of low-angle terrain in our neck of the woods, something that can't be said in many places. Find a new spot to explore in the region and see for yourself. And while you are out there, dig a snowpit and interact with the snow and look for these layers—there's always something to learn in the mountains. 

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