Bollettino valanghe

Sawtooth & Western Smoky Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Thu
Alta quota
3 · Marcato
Limite del bosco
2 · Moderato
Sotto il limite
2 · Moderato
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In sintesi

Triggering an avalanche big enough to bury you and your truck is possible, especially in the mountains near Smiley Creek. You may not see any warning signs before triggering a large avalanche. 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. 

Problemi valanghivi

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    You could trigger large avalanches, and some of them could be big enough to destroy houses. Multiple natural and human-triggered avalanches released in the southeastern part of this zone 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 remain 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, steering clear of steep slopes is the reliable way to stay out of trouble. 

    (2/10/2024)

    This very large avalanche failed naturally sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning. The crown spans 2,000 feet of terrain and the slide ran over 1,000 vertical feet. 

  • 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. 

Avalanche Discussion

The snowpack, and snow stability, vary significantly in this zone. Evidence (avalanche activity, snowpack observations, weather patterns, etc) indicates that triggering big, Persistent Slab avalanches is less likely in the heart of the Sawtooth Mtns and the west side of the Smoky Mtns. You’ll find a different scenario in the SE corner of this zone, in the Frenchman Ck and Salmon River headwaters areas as well as the mountains within a few miles of the town of Smiley Ck; there, triggering scary Persistent Slab avalanches is more likely. Determining where the transition from “sketchy” to “not as bad” occurs is an inexact science at best - recognize that areas near Smiley Creek and the eastern front of the Sawtooths could fall on either, or both, sides of the stability spectrum. Wherever you're playing in this zone, think carefully about the consequences of being caught in an avalanche before committing to skiing or riding steep slopes.

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.

Regioni coperte