Avalanches Possible Today in Areas of Sawtooth Mountains

KETCHUM, Idaho (KLIX) – Be careful if you're outdoors today: there's a chance you could trigger an avalanche, depending on where you are in Idaho mountains.

A risk of avalanches in the backcountry elevations of the Sawtooth Mountains remain a possibility today, according to the Sawtooth Avalanche Center.

“Triggering a slab avalanche large enough to bury you or even your vehicle remains a possibility today,” the center said in an advisory Monday morning.

It said avalanches “will fail on one of several layers of weak, sugary snow buried in the upper” 1 to 4 feet, and recreationists could likely trigger them “where recent winds have put an additional load on the snow.”

There also is increased danger of avalanches in the Smoky and Boulder mountains, according to the advisory.

Something skiers should be aware of: “Sun Valley Ski Patrol observed fresh wind slabs that were sensitive to the weight of a skier. These slabs pose the greatest hazard where they rest atop more deeply buried weak layers.”

For more information, visit the Sawtooth Avalanche Center.