Bollettino valanghe

Selkirk Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
Vedi sulla mappa

Pericolo valanghe

Tue
Alta quota
2 · Moderato
Limite del bosco
2 · Moderato
Sotto il limite
1 · Debole
Open full map
Non aggiornato — questo bollettino è scaduto 6 months ago. Stai vedendo condizioni passate, non il bollettino in corso.

In sintesi

Cold temperatures and breezy conditions are working in tandem to consolidate and stiffen upper snowpack layers. Lingering concern remains for a person or machine to accidentally trigger a large avalanche in weak layers several feet deep. Think about the potential consequences of an avalanche in the terrain you choose for recreation before committing to steeper slopes, and try to avoid places where the snowpack is shallower like near rock outcrops or backsides of steep rollovers.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    A 2 to 3-foot-thick cohesive slab overlies two buried surface hoar layers. One got buried at the end of January (1/28) and the other in mid-February around Valentine’s Day (2/14). The slab above has stiffened and settled due to wind, warmer temperatures, and natural settlement. As the slab has strengthened, the likelihood of human-triggered avalanches has decreased, and natural avalanches have become unlikely. Although the snowpack is trending in the right direction, the potential consequences remain significant if one of these persistent weak layers is woken up and an avalanche occurs. 

    Snowpack feedback and signs of instability in the form of audible collapses, shooting cracks, or worrisome test results have diminished, and there will likely be little to no warning before you trigger a large avalanche. Shaded, more wind-protected slopes that favor the northern half of the compass are the more likely places where looming persistent weak layers will be more intact. Areas with a thinner or softer overlying slab may act as trigger point and the slide could expand to where the slab is deeper. Navigate around slab margins, rocky slopes, and steep convex rolls where snow depths are likely shallower if traveling through avalanche terrain.

    (3/8/2026)

    The buried surface hoar fom 2/14 is rounding and becoming less reactive, but can still be found 2 to 3 feet down on the north end of the compass. These grains were from a northeast aspect near 6,200'.

    March 8, 2026.

    Photo: Izzy Davis

Avalanche Discussion

Avalanche conditions remain status quo although the weather is trying to inflict small changes. Light precipitation is forecasted for the next few days and strong winds will primarily add more variability to surface conditions. Over the long haul, the change needed to move the avalanche needle looks to arrive midweek, but let’s not lose focus on the now.

Besides changes to surface conditions and the introduction of small, isolated hazards, the lingering danger of our Persistent Slab avalanche problem remains at the forefront of our minds. Talking at length about and describing this problem feels like groundhog day, but we are not ready to let this concern ride off into the sunset. We are still within earshot of a multi-week period with elevated instability and avalanche activity that occurred not only in our forecast zones but regionwide and to some degree across the Western US.

Managing this lingering hazard comes with a bit of uncertainty now that free input from the snowpack is mostly gone and we don’t have reassurance of natural activity to guide us away from certain aspects and types of slopes. A trend we are observing is that reoccurring failures in tests and a concerning hard-over-soft structure is still being found on slopes that face west through north to east. It is important to note that wind-sheltered areas are the places where both buried surface hoar layers were larger and more widespread before being buried. In more exposed terrain, the overlying slab is much stiffer and the same persistent weak grains show more evidence of rounding.A fatal avalanche accident involving two snowmobilers occurred near Kootenay Pass on February 28th in the Selkirk Mountains of Canada, a few miles beyond the boundaries of our advisory area. A full incident report has been recently completed and can be viewed here.

---

IPAC is now on the Avy app! View, submit, and share observations on the go using the AvyApp. Your backcountry observations are critical for building our avalanche forecasts. Avy provides a centralized location for core trip planning, and you can view streamlined, up-to-date avalanche and weather forecasts for your selected zone, using offline caching. Download Avy today - App Store and Google Play.

Regioni coperte