This is Janet Kellam of the Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center with your Backcountry Avalanche Advisory and Weather Forecast for Friday, December 28, 2007 at 7:30 am. Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation in partnership with Idaho's Snowmobile License Plate Program & the Friends of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center bring you this advisory. Bottom Line: Today the avalanche danger is estimated to be MODERATE. Greatest concerns exist for steep rocky terrain and locations with weak, punchy snow beneath a surface slab. Especially wind loaded slopes with drifted snow. Weak snow exists beneath our Christmas storms. It is widespread throughout the Central and South Valley. In locations with a deeper snowpack such as the North Valley and Sawtooth Mtns. the weak snow is isolated to steep rocky areas, wind swept slopes or very low elevations. WEEKEND OUTLOOK: Todays snowstorm promises to be light and should not affect the avalanche danger much. The weekend storm expected Saturday afternoon and Sunday is forecast to bring heavy snowfall at times, warmer temperatures and strong winds. The avalanche danger will definitely increase throughout the weekend with these conditions. Stay heads up and have several options as the storm progresses and conditions change. Primary Avalanche Concern: Our early December cold, dry spell created a very weak snowpack, especially where there was less snow on the ground. We have not had any significant snowfall for awhile, so the stability has improved until our next snowload. A pattern has developed- the weak base layer of snow is widespread throughout the Central and South Valley. Areas with a deeper snowpack have fared much better but we are finding very weak snow in high alpine terrain and on steep rocky slopes in these other places. Wind loaded steep slopes with weak snow beneath the newer snow are the main concern today. We did receive a report of a skier triggered slide in the Titus area yesterday. A steep, rocky southeast facing slope. It was about 35 feet wide and everyone got out of the way but it could have seriously injured someone as it slammed into the trees. A reminder, avalanches are still possible in this snowpack. As the weekend storm progresses any steeper slope with the weak base layers will become a problem. We may also see some new snow instability as strong winds develop and temperatures warm up creating a top heavy layer. Current Conditions: Yesterday winds remained light, shifting from the northwest to the southwest as the next weather system moved in. They have been gusting in the mid twenties this morning on Titus ridge, which is enough wind to create some shallow wind slabs with todays light snow. Snowfall began about 4AM this morning and accumulations are light everywhere. Temperatures have remained quite cold with yesterdays valley highs in the teens and upper elevations remained in the single digits. All locations report close to zero degrees this morning. Surface conditions are settled powder on wind sheltered slopes and variable wind crusts on any slopes exposed to north and west winds. Warmer aspects are more consolidated but have not developed a sun crust in most locations. Mountain Weather Forecast: This mornings light snowfall promises to remain just that. Accumulations of only 1 to 2 inches are expected at low elevations, 3 to 6 inches are possible up high with the northern regions favored for the most snow. Ridgeline winds will increase in speed to the mid twenty mph range and continue out of the southwest. Temperatures are forecast to remain in the single digits at 10,000ft, near 12 degrees on Baldy and close to 20 degrees on the valley floor. The big shift will come tomorrow afternoon and into Sunday as a Pacific Northwest storm system moves in.