WINTER SPORTS — The calendar says its spring, but the snow keeps piling up in the mountains, inviting skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers into continue their winter ways.

Go in a group, keep track of the weather and use your best winter travel sense – because you’ll pretty much be out there on your own. Despite more layers of new snow this week, most of the region’s downhill ski areas will close for the season on Sunday.

And the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center has stopped testing the snowpack and posting weekly avalanche advisories.

Kevin Davis, IPAC director, posted a summary of spring snow travel tips to help snow goers make good decisions on their routes through spring snow conditions.

“With a better than average snowpack we should be doing well on mountain travel until late June in places,” he said.

WINTER SPORTS — Winter has ended on a high note in terms of snow in the mountains, with a better than average snowpack that is still accumulating. 

Skiers, boarders and snowmobilers should find great spring riding well into June this year, said Kevin Davis of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center.

BUT anyone braving the mountains during this wet weekend should be aware of the “considerable” potential for avalanche on the steep slopes.

Read on for the region's full avalanche advisory.  

CLIMBING – Karl Dietrich, an accomplished North Idaho mountaineer, will be presenting a slide show of his alpine adventures at 6 p.m., March 29 at the Laughing Dog Brewery in Ponderay, sponsored by the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center.

WINTER SPORTS — “Snowfall continues in the mountains and the riding conditions Thursday were superb,” reports Kevin Davis of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center after his North Idaho mountains snow survey. 

” It was easy to figure out where not to go yesterday with the signs being easy to read.  Small natural slides on NE slopes and human triggered slides on south slopes told us to keep it off the steeps. 

“You might see these slides from yesterday but you probably won’t see slopes sliding naturally today.  You could, however, trigger these weak layers on slopes steeper than 35 degrees and the big stuff above 5,500 feet will be unstable where wind-loaded. 

“When it warms up this weekend, and it could get downright balmy, avoid steep terrain on any slope and stay away from cornices.  Great snow out there right now, just continue to be careful.”

Read on for the entire report for the region.

WINTER SPORTS — Another week of tremendous snowfall in the mountains has created weak layers, with warming temperatures addding heavier layers to lighter layers of snow.  Sounds like a fancy dessert, but instead it's a recipe for considerable avalanche danger in much of the region, according to this morning's avalanche advisory from the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center.

“Careful route finding is necessary today to avoid steep slopes, especially where wind-loaded,” said Kevin Davis, center director.

Read on for the full advisory.

WINTER SPORTS — Despite the recent sunshine, good powder snow is lingering on north aspects in the region's mountains. Skiers, boarders and snowmobilers heading out to enjoy the late winter snow must be wary of several factors, says Kevin Davis, Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center director.

“Be aware of generating some good sized sluffs and a weak layer 6-12 inches deep from Sundays snowfall,” he said in the avalanche advisory just posted this morning. 

“Exposed faces have firmer surface snow due to wind and sun.  Watch your terrain selection as the sun heats up steep sunny slopes today as this could create some stability problems as the surface layers heat up. 

“Deep surface hoar layer still showing signs of weakness and I think we’ll have to deal with this one for the rest of the winter. 

“Spring conditions could reveal some climax avalanches as the pack starts to go isothermal.  New snow comes in with wind starting Saturday night.”

Read on for the detailed report on snow conditions throughout the region, were avalanche warnings are moderate to considerable. 

WINTER SPORTS — Wonderful deep powder is calling all backcountry snow worshipers today, and the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center is recommending that you go and get after it — but consider staying on the lower angle slopes!

The best snow avalanche technicians found during the weekly Thursday survey was in the valley bottom where it was deep and light, said Kevin Davis, center director. 

“Yesterday was the first time I have ever gotten 2 percent water content snow on the scale.  Once up into the mountains we found scoured snow surfaces on exposed areas and, although we couldn't get to them, I imagine the wind-loaded areas are deep.  Snow was excellent in the trees.

“Don't be blinded by the incredible powder because there is a persistent weak layer that is now buried 4 feet deep with a firm slab on top.  This weak layer was the one responsible for widespread and large avalanches across our forecast region for the past two weeks.  It is more difficult to trigger now but if it does go it could lead to massive and destructive avalanches.” 

Read on for the complete region avalanche report.

WINTER SPORTS — Persisting weak layers, new snow, wind, changing temperatues — and more new snow forecast for the weekend — add up to warnings for backcountry travelers to use great caution in the backcountry this week, according to this morning's avalanche advisory from the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center.

“Tricky conditions in the mountains today due to weak layers of facets below a crust and buried surface hoar,” says Kevin Davis, the center's technichian who was out checking the North Idaho snowpack on Thursday.

“Avalanches triggered in these weak layers have the potential to be larger due to firmer windslabs in the upper pack on wind scoured slopes.  A Winter Storm Warning will be in effect this evening and continuing into Sunday morning.  The avalanche hazard will rise to HIGH due to the expected weather.”

Read on for the full avalanche advisory for the region. 

WINTER SPORTS — Elyse Saugstad, who survived the Stevens Pass-area avalanche that killed three of her skiing companions on Sunday, provided more details about the event in a followup interview with the Anchorage Daily News, her hometown paper so to speak.

Click “continue reading”  for the story.

Click here for more details and links to video interviews.

WINTER SPORTS — I'm working with other media to help get word out the avalanche conditions are dangerous throughout much of the region.  The latest of at least five avalanche deaths reported in the region in the past three days occurred Monday in northwestern Montana.

Two Washington snowmobilers were caught in an avalanche that killed a man from southeastern Washington.

The Flathead County sheriff's office says the slide occurred at 4 p.m. Monday about 12 miles east of Kalispell in the Lost Johnny drainage of the South Fork of the Flathead River.

Undersheriff Jordan White says 33-year-old Charles John Dundon III of Connell, Wash., triggered the slide as he rode his snowmobile across an open slope. Dundon and another man were caught in the slide, but the second man wasn't buried.

Dundon is the fifth person to die in an avalanche in Montana this winter.

AVALANCHE DANGER RATED HIGH

Today, the West Central Montana Avalanche Center upgraded the avalanche danger to “high” in the Rattlesnake, southern Swan and southern Mission mountains above 5,000 feet. The center said the ski patrol at Snowbowl is reporting that ski cuts are producing dangerous slab avalanches.

Bitterroot Mountains avalanche danger will be raised to “high” once snow starts falling, the avalanche center said.

In southeastern Montana, the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center rated the avalanche danger as “high” on wind-loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees in the Bridger, Gallatin and Madison ranges, the Lionhead area near West Yellowstone and the mountains around Cooke City.

“Today is not a day to trifle with the snowpack,” the center said in its report. “It’s ornery and getting more dangerous as more snow falls and wind blows.”

WINTER SPORTS — Like other commentary's on Sunday's avalanche fatalities in the North Cascades, my column today is getting some people to think and learn.

Other readers are reacting emotionally and telling writers and the experts we quote that we have no business analyzing avalanche incidents.

The people involved in the Stevens Pass avalanche tragedy were carrying equipment and using safety techniques that were adopted after experts had investigated previous accidents.

Skiers who enjoy the backcountry will add what they learn from Sunday's incidents in the Cascades to make their next outing safer.

No one is saying they shouldn’t do it.  Objective people are saying look, understand, learn.

• Start with this website of video avalanche tutorials.  “A Dozen More Turns” is a must see. It was made by the sister of an avalanche victim who saw the value in analyzing a tragedy so others might learn and live.
• Subscribe to the region's avalanche advisories. They're conveniently linked from a tabs on the S-R outdoors web page.
• View two video interviews: (1) Elyse Saugstad , who credits an avalanche airbag backpack for helping her survive the Stevens Pass avalanche, (2) KHQ-TV's Dave Cotton interviewing me on the lure of skiing backcountry.
• Read todays New York Times story on western avalanche fatalities this season.
• See my blog post with numerous links for more information about the Stevens Pass avalanche incident.
• Bookmark the website for avalanche.org, for authoritative discussion and links of avalanche awareness. 

Elyse Saugstad describes surviving the Stevens Pass-area avalanche.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

My Monday interview with KHQ regarding the lure of skiing out of bounds.

WINTER SPORTS — Pro skier pro skier Elyse Saugstad gave a TV interview this morning answering questions about the ABS Avalanche Airbag device she credits with saving her life Sunday in the deadly avalanche that killed three of her companions near Stevens Pass.

• Here is the ABS Avalanche Airbag website.
• See my Monday interview with KHQ-TV regarding the lure of skiing out of bounds as well as video of friends and family remembering the victims of Sunday's avalanche.

If asked the question, I'm sure Saugstad would point out that the airbag would not have helped her if the avalanche had rammed her into a tree or rock. But in this case it helped, and it's worth checking out, investigating, learning, understanding….

The three were skiing in a group of 13 friends that included both local and visiting skiers, according to ESPN Freeskiing editor Megan Michelson, who was among the skiers in the group.

WINTER SPORTS — Pro skier  pro skier Elyse Saugstad gave a TV interview this morning answering questions about the ABS Avalanche Airbag device she credits with saving her life Sunday in the deadly avalanche that killed three of her companions near Stevens Pass.

• Here is the ABS Avalanche Airbag website.
• See my interview with KHQ-TV regarding the lure of skiing out of bounds as well as video of friends and family remembering the victims of Sunday's avalanche.

If asked the question, I'm sure Saugstad would point out that the airbag would not have helped her if the avalanche had rammed her into a tree or rock. But in this case it helped, and it's worth checking out, investigating, learning, understanding….

The three were skiing in a group of 13 friends that included both local and visiting skiers, according to ESPN Freeskiing editor Megan Michelson, who was among the skiers in the group.

WINTER SPORTS — Three people have died in an avalanche near Stevens Pass ski area, authorities say. Others who had been reported missing were accounted for today, the Seattle PI Online reports.

WINTER SPORTS — New snow this week has created good sliding conditions for skiers and snowmobiles. But The Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center's weekly advisory cites conditions and areas of concern in the snowpack.

“The southerly aspects were a little firmer with suncrusts and shallower snow but the north aspects had a sufficient amount of new snow and the buried crusts were a little deeper,” writes IPAC technician Kevin Davis, reporting to today on his Thursday outing to test the backcountry slopes.  “So was the buried surface hoar.  You can't miss it on the north aspects where its standing proud.  It wasn't shearing easily yesterday but check it today on steep slopes.  Your main concern this weekend will be the new snow, Winter Storm Watch, loading buried surface hoar.”

Read on for the complete report.

WINTER SPORTS — The region's mountain snowpack is stabilizing, but snow-goers must be aware of a couple of weak layers, says Kevin Davis in the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center weekly avalanche advisory issued this morning.

Of the two layers of surface hoar, one has been buried for just over a week and has stabilized, but continue to watch it on northerly aspects, he said. The other just got buried on Wednesday.  Its not under enough snow to be a problem yet, although in the Cabinets it might be in places, but it could be a problem in the future, he said.

An avalanche workshop is being presented tonight,  6 p.m. at the Forest Service Building in Sandpoint. The Avalanche Center staff will review 10 years of avalanche accidents in North Idaho.

February and March are the most common months for human triggered avalanches.

Read on for the complete avalanche advisory.

WINTER SPORTS — Storms helped the region's mountains catch up on precipitation in the past two weeks — as you can see from powder piled deep in this Selkirk Mountains sunrise photo iPhoned to me this morning by backcountry skier Alison Boggs.

But the snowpack also developed some weak layers, avalanche experts say.

Technicians from the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center observed natural avalanches during their Thursday survey and documented some persistent weak layers.

“Falling snow won't be a concern for a while, but the sun and rising temperatures could be,” said technician Kevin Davis. “Break out you're spring travel tricks if it's getting too warm or if we get inversions. Those crusts are becoming more of a concern as they continue to break down.”

Read on for the full advisory posted this morning, or click here to check out the center's new website under construction.

WINTER SPORTS — An avalanche class geared to snowmobilers starts tonight, 7 p.m., at the Sandpoint Forest Service office, conducted by the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center. 

The class continues in the field on Saturday, meeting at the Trestle Creek trailhead at 9 a.m.

WINTER SPORTS — Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center technicians found great riding and sliding conditions in the mountains during their Thursday survey, but they also found areas to avoid, according to the report posted this morning.

The snow was lighter on top and firmer down toward the crust buried about 4 feet deep.  Slopes in sheltered areas showed some weak layers that have not bonded in the upper 1-2 feet but they are moderately stable. 

Steeper exposed windloaded slopes, N-E-SE, will be the areas to avoid today where slabs will be firmer and under some stress.  Watch the weather Saturday night into Sunday for snowfall amounts, increasing winds, and warming temperatures. 

Read on for the complete advisory issued today for the Selkirks and Lookout Pass regions.