This is Matt Lutz of the Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center
 with your Backcountry Avalanche Advisory and Weather Forecast for
 Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 7:30 am.

 The Sun Valley Telemark Series & Smiley Creek Lodge & the Friends of
 the Sawtooth Avalanche Center bring you this advisory.

 Bottom Line:
 Today the avalanche danger in the South and Central Valley is
 estimated to be CONSIDERABLE. South and east facing slopes are of
 particular concern due to a persistent weak layer about 2 feet deep
 that continues to produce easy clean shears.

 The avalanche danger is the North Valley and Sawtooth Mountains is
 estimated to be CONSIDERABLE on south aspects and along east
 facing ridgelines. South aspects in these areas also have a persistent
 crust facet interface approximately 2.5 feet deep. The avalanche
 danger in our northern terrain is estimated to be MODERATE on west
 and north aspects.

 Todays there is a Winter Storm Warning in affect until 5pm. The
 Central Mountains may see up to another 6 inches of snow. The bigger
 story with this storm will be the winds. Strong westerly winds are
 expected with ridge top gusts into the 50s. Expect the avalanche
 danger to increase on any slope that snow is being deposited, but
 especially on south and east facing aspects.

 Primary Avalanche Concern:
 
 
 
 
 Yesterdays winds moved a lot of snow around at all elevations. Today
 the National Weather Service is calling for sustained strong winds
 with even stronger gusts. The winds are expected to be out of west
 southwest through the day light hours and shift into the northwest by
 tonight. Today be on the look out for newly deposited wind slabs or
 pillows on easterly facing ridgelines and exposed slopes. Expect the
 wind deposits to be sensitive.

 When strong wind events take place, the wind deposited snow does not
 always end up where you might normally expect it. Most wind slabs and
 pillows are quite obvious and can be found along higher elevation
 ridgelines and along mid to low elevation sub-ridges and terrain rolls
 on any aspect.

 Secondary Avalanche Concern:
 
 
 
 
 In the South and Central Valley weak facet snow is widespread. South
 aspects have a creepy crust/facet interface about 2 feet deep that
 continues to produce clean easy shears. East aspects also have a
 faceted layer about 2 feet deep that continues to produce clean and
 easy shears. North and west aspects in the southern terrain currently
 provide slightly better options. North aspects are generally so weak
 that there is not much of a slab on top of all that weak snow. Slope
 by slope detective work is required to determine if the slope youre
 standing on has a cohesive slab or not.

 In the North Valley and Sawtooth Mountains southerly aspects have the
 same creepy crust facet interface as the South Valley. This layer is
 fairly widespread and this terrain should be approached very
 carefully. In general west, north and sheltered east aspects that have
 a deep snow pack offer better stability. Faceted layers with in the
 snowpack are still a concern. Diligent observation is required to
 determine if these layers are in the snowpack where you are. Look for
 clean shears around 2 feet deep and again in the deeper snowpack close
 to the ground.

 Additional Discussion Our current snowpack is slowly getting stronger
 but is by no means very trustworthy. I suspect that we will see more
 avalanche cycles that involve old and deep snow before we see this
 snowpack settle down. Avoid steep and rocky terrain, terrain with a
 thin or highly variable snow distribution, terrain traps and any area
 that has persistent weak layers within the snowpack.

 Current Conditions:
 Great soft snow riding conditions are easily found on most sheltered
 aspects. The wind over the last few days has beat up the high country,
 exposed slopes and ridgelines.

 This morning Ketchum is under overcast skies with light snow. The
 temperature in town this morning is 12 degrees. Ridge top temperatures
 are in the low teens. The winds are out of the west in the moderate
 range and expected to increase.

 Mountain Weather Forecast:
 Today expect light snow with blustery winds. The Central Mountains
 should see between 4 to 8 inches of snow while the valleys should see
 2 to 4 inches of new snow. The bulk of the snow will taper off by
 tonight with lingering scattered snow showers through Thursday night.

 Wind speeds of 30 to 35 miles per hour are expected with gusts
 possibly reaching the 50 mile per hour range. Fridays forecast is
 calling for intermittent snow showers and diminishing winds.

 Tip for the day:
 Check to see if your beacons send or receive functions are affected by
 electronic gadgets that you carry while you are touring.