This is Janet Kellam of the Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center with your Backcountry Avalanche Advisory and Weather Forecast for Friday, February 8, 2008 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 HIGH on steeper windloaded slopes due to yesterdays new snow, strong winds and todays wind. CONSIDERABLE danger exists on more sheltered slopes. Several different avalanche concerns exist today. The Central and South Valley: In addition to newly formed wind slabs, has very weak snow layers near the base of the snowpack on all aspects. The North Valley and Sawtooth Mountains: Generally have a stronger snowpack on more northerly facing slopes but show poor stability on east through southwest facing slopes due to weak snow layered between crusts, now buried approximately 2 feet deep. The northern sector has received over a foot of new snow the past few days and showed signs of instability even on wind sheltered slopes yesterday with shooting cracks, loose sluffs and a few soft slab avalanches. The slopes around town have gotten half that amount of snow. Weekend Outlook: Saturday could be a tricky day in the backcountry. Clearing skies and much warmer temperatures will tend to increase the avalanche danger in spite of no new snow the next couple days. Stay observant and take a cautious approach until conditions stabilize. Primary Avalanche Concern: Ferocious winds affected roadways and backcountry conditions alike. Northwest winds are expected to continue today at lesser speeds, but still strong enough to move snow into pillows and drifts on leeward slopes. Yesterday at times it was difficult to tell which direction the wind was coming from so expect to find new wind slabs on a variety of aspects in many different locations. The slabs may be soft and pasty feeling or rock hard. Hollow sounds and shooting cracks when the snow is stepped upon are indications of instability. Sheltered slopes: Over a foot of light snow has accumulated since Tuesday in the Galena area, back in the Smoky and Sawtooth Mountains and at upper elevations. Around Galena Summit, I found yesterdays warmer temperatures and snowfall made this snow very sensitive, producing shooting cracks and very soft slabs 10 to 12 inches deep even in sheltered areas. This new snow instability should stabilize fairly quickly but keep an eye out for it today on all aspects. Secondary Avalanche Concern: Central and South Valley: Very weak snow that formed earlier in the season has left us with a barely supportive base to the snowpack. Human triggered avalanches remain very possible or likely on all steep slopes in this region. We continue to get reports of whumphing and collapsing from travelers on low angle slopes. Most backcountry travelers are not getting on anything steeper than 30 degrees in this region right now. Because the weak layers are slow to consolidate and strengthen, new snow accumulations and strong winds raise the avalanche danger each time they occur. Yesterdays wind certainly added the weight of large amounts of drifted snow onto some of these slopes. Significant warming will also initially increase the danger the first few days temperatures and sun heat things up. North Valley and areas with a deeper winter-long snowpack: Are not as obviously weak and have more stable snow in a number of places but require good stability evaluation skills and ongoing observations. Multiple avalanche concerns exist. In addition to wind slabs and the foot of newer snow mentioned earlier, lower elevations in this region (below approximately 8,500ft), and any area of steep rocky terrain can be prone to weak underlying snow. A pattern of crusts surrounded by weak, faceted snow approximately 2 feet deep on east to south to southwest facing slopes has also shown poor stability. Current Conditions: I am not quite sure what areas escaped the wind yesterday, but Id like to think some sheltered slopes are out there without too much damage. Be prepared to find all kinds of wind textured surfaces today ranging from scoured to not too bad to very firm and board like. Winds have decreased and are blowing 15 to 17mph from the northwest at upper elevations and gusting 20mph. They will continue at these speeds, possibly a little stronger today before decreasing tonight. Of note-we routinely saw gusts of 50 to 60mph throughout the day at upper elevations with Soldier Mountain gusting 90 to 103 mph during the afternoon and evening. Areas around Ketchum received about 3 inches of snow to make a total of 6 inches over the past few days. The Galena area received 6 to 7 inches the past 24 hours to make a multi-day total of over a foot of fairly light snow. Greater amounts probably exist back in the Smoky and Sawtooth Mountains. A temperature spike yesterday morning seemed to make the newer snow slightly top heavy. Temperatures have since cooled down and are 8 to 10 degrees in most locations. One exception- Again Stanley seems to be in the warm sector reporting 22 degrees at 6AM. Mountain Weather Forecast: Winds are forecast to persist today, but not as severe conditions as yesterdays whiteouts & road closures. Expect northwest winds with average speeds in the 20mph range and gusts up to 40mph. A brief ridge of high pressure from the northwest is building for the next 2 days. Although minor disturbances in the flow will bring cloudy skies today and a chance of snowshowers, we don't expect any accumulations of new snow. Temperatures today are forecast to reach 31 degrees on the valley floor, 22 on Bald Mountain and 17 degrees at 10,000ft on Titus Ridge.