GARDEN VALLEY -- The incredible snowfall we've seen in the mountains the past two days is exactly what many recreators, and businesses that rely on recreators, have been waiting for. But that snowfall is also the perfect recipe for an avalanche.
"The past day, our phones have kind of blown up," said Blake Oseen, the owner of Idaho X Sports in Garden Valley.
Oseen rents snowmobiles. After a painfully dry winter, the recent dumping of snow has made him a very busy man.
"We've got a bunch of people who have been scheduled, and re-scheduled, and re-scheduled," said Oseen. "Now we have snow, so we're ready to go."
The snowmobilers and other recreators heading into the mountains this weekend will face a ton of fresh powder, and also avalanche warnings.
"Avalanches are very probable over this weekend," said Rick Lantz, Idaho's Chief Meteorologist.
Experts like Lantz say the danger is in the snow itself. They say snowpack needs at least 24 hours to start to settle and become stable. The recent snow, however is freshly fallen and much more prone to avalanche.
"We had some snow that came down in the mountains at the end of November. That flattened out, kind of just made a real smooth icy surface," said Lantz. "Then with this new snow that came down, it hasn't really had a chance to settle on this smooth surface. So any kind of disturbance then would actually make this snow fall down along the hillside."
Oseen, who's an avid snowmobiler himself, says most riders understand the danger. So he hopes they ride smart, safe, and come equipped to deal with avalanches.
"People are realizing it's a way to save your life and your buddy's life," said Oseen.
Oseen also says every person he rents to first has to go through a safety course. He adds that the trails that those people ride on are in very little danger of seeing any sort of avalanche.
Click on the link to check potential avalanche danger in the mountains where you might be headed this weekend.
