This is Chris Lundy of the Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center with your Backcountry Avalanche Advisory and Weather Forecast for Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 7:30 am. The Twin Falls District Bureau of Land Management & the Friends of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center bring you this advisory. weak, sugary facets. In most locations the snowpack has adjusted to the recent load, but we are still receiving reports of collapsing and cracking of the snowpack, indicating that some areas of unstable snow remain. Continue to evaluate terrain very carefully, and avoid steep, exposed, alpine-type terrain or any slope that was recently wind loaded. Primary Avalanche Concern: While things have calmed down since the avalanche cycle of Thursday and Friday, there is no getting around the fact that a 1-2 foot deep slab sits atop weak faceted snow in most locations. Stability tests yesterday from Gladiator Ridge and the Titus area indicate that the snowpack is generally strengthening. No new natural or triggered avalanches were reported yesterday, however the group from Titus Ridge and another on Avalanche Peak still reported several collapses and even some cracking of the snowpack. I think there are places where you could still trigger a slide. Rocky slopes steeper than about 35 degrees tend to harbor weaker snow, and consequently take longer to stabilize. Also, exposed slopes that have been loaded by recent winds will have a greater burden on the faceted snow, and these areas will take longer to heal as well. We are in that all too familiar grey area after a storm cycle when many slopes have stabilized, but some areas of instability linger. The way I deal with this is by remaining conservative in my terrain choices and evaluating the snowpack on each slope I recreate on. Persisting instabilities are most likely to be found on steeper, more committing slopes, and I tend to avoid this type of terrain until I am more confident that Im not going to stumble upon one of these hot spots. Current Conditions: Overnight, our mountains received a trace to an inch of new snow. Ridgeline winds over the past 24 hours have averaged 10-15 mph from the west-northwest, with some gusts in the 30s. Mountain temperatures this morning are in the mid to upper teens, and down in the valley it's in the single digits. Sliding and riding conditions remain excellent, with supportive powder conditions found in most locations, especially at mid to upper elevations in our northern mountains. Mountain Weather Forecast: Today a weak ridge of high pressure will give way to storm system forecasted to reach our area overnight, and the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for Monday. Expect increasing clouds today in advance of the system, with mountain temperatures reaching the low to mid 20s and a valley high of around 30 degrees. Ridgeline winds are expected to blow from the northwest at 10-20 mph. By tomorrow morning, our northern mountains should pick up 3-6 inches of new snow, while the mountains closer to town could get 2-4 inches. More snow is expected during the day on Monday accompanied by gusty winds.