Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Public Field Report

Observation Details

Observation Date:
March 12, 2023
Submitted:
March 12, 2023
Zone or Region:
Sawtooth and Western Smoky Mtns
Activity:
XC Skiing/Snowshoeing
Location:
Smiley Creek

Observed Avalanches

Did you observe any avalanches? 
Yes
Avalanche Type:
Hard Slab
Size:
Size 2: Could bury, injure, or kill a person
Elevation:
7,500
Aspect:
NE
Comments:
We toured out in the flats again today to get eyes on terrain in Smiley Creek. Snowmobilers came past us and remotely triggered a pretty decent slide on Abe’s Chair that we watched kick off and run to the bottom of the slope.

Signs of Unstable Snow

Did you see shooting cracks? 
Yes
Did you experience collapsing or whumpfing? 
Yes, Widespread

Observations

We toured in very low angle terrain on XC skis and experienced nearly constant woomphing and collapsing in the upper snowpack. Kept it low key and far away from connected slopes, and witnessed a remotely triggered avalanche from motorized riders kick off and run to the bottom of the slope.

This was the second avalanche I’ve witnessed this week and reinforced our decisions to eliminate all avalanche terrain from our travel plans.