Bollettino valanghe

Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Thu
Alta quota
3 · Marcato
Limite del bosco
3 · Marcato
Sotto il limite
3 · Marcato
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Non aggiornato — questo bollettino è scaduto 3 years ago. Stai vedendo condizioni passate, non il bollettino in corso.

In sintesi

Conditions are dangerous. You are likely to trigger avalanches big enough to bury people and vehicles. At upper elevations, the chance of triggering smaller, thinner avalanches is real and will increase this afternoon.

Heavy snowfall and wind will cause the danger to spike tonight and Thursday. If you're out after dark, expect very dangerous avalanche conditions to develop. AVALANCHE WARNINGS may be issued.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Periods of wind formed slabs in upper elevation terrain in recent days. This afternoon, increasing winds could begin forming the next generation of wind slabs. The fresh drifts will overlie weak snow (crust + facets, facets, surface hoar, or slick crusts) on many slopes, making the slabs especially easy to trigger in places. 

    Wind slabs and drifts could also produce thicker avalanches involving the February storm snow. While we have not observed many avalanches failing on this weak layer buried 1-2 feet deep, the resulting slide would be larger than you might expect. 

    Drifts, ripples, and dunes are clues the wind has been at work. If you see cracks shooting out in front of your skis or boards or feel the snow stiffen beneath you, the prudent move is to stick to gentler terrain. The wind slab avalanches could carry you where you don't want to go, and they have the potential to trigger the Persistent Slab avalanches described above. 

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    You're likely to trigger large avalanches, and some of them could be big enough to destroy houses. Dozens of large natural avalanches released last week, and the snowpack is still adjusting to the weight of the early February storms.

    Avalanche activity has been focused on the northern half of the compass (W-NW-N-NE-E) in middle and upper elevation terrain, failing on faceted snow buried about 2-4 feet deep. On sunnier aspects, crust + facet combinations exist deep in the snowpack and are also suspect.These avalanches can release in surprising ways. You can trigger them from flat or low-angle terrain long distances away from steep slopes, and they can break far above you. You may or may not experience snowpack collapsing or other obvious signs of instability before triggering an avalanche.

    If your primary goal is to not get caught in an avalanche, staying off of and out from below steep slopes is the move today.

    This very large avalanche failed naturally sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning. The crowns span 2,000 feet of terrain and the slide ran over 1,000 vertical feet. The majority of the slope that avalanched faces NW.

Avalanche Discussion

The snowpack is this zone remains sketchy and should not be trusted. Yesterday near the edge of this zone, a longtime local experienced "one of craziest collapses I have ever experienced! Very loud and rumbled/ propogated away from me and through the forest for what seemed like 3-5 seconds after. Heart to throat!" He wisely avoided all avalanche terrain. The snowpack needs more time to adjust to the big load from the early February storms, and it's not going to happen in the coming days. Be careful if you're sliding or riding in these mountains. 

Heavy snowfall and wind will cause the danger to spike tonight and Thursday. If you're out after dark, expect very dangerous avalanche conditions to develop. AVALANCHE WARNINGS may be issued.

Regioni coperte