KETCHUM — The Sawtooth Avalanche center provides backcountry enthusiasts with a daily avalanche forecast to help keep people safe when they are recreating in the central Idaho mountains.
Backcountry skiing and snowmobiling can be dangerous, that's why it is so important to be aware of the conditions before heading out into the backcountry.
"We cover nearly 2,000 square miles," said Ethan Davis who has been a forecaster for the Sawtooth Avalanche center for the past four years.
The Sawtooth Avalanche center provides information for the Soldier Mountain area, the Wood River Valley, the Smoky and Boulder mountains and all the way up through the Sawtooth Mountains, that also includes the Copper Mountain area they added new this year.
"You want to get educated not necessarily for your own good, but for the good of the people you are traveling with or for your family at home," said Davis.
Click here to check out the Sawtooth Avalanche forecast, avalanche.org is another good resource and Davis recommends checking out backcountryascender.com which has tutorials that people can do to level up in their avalanche awareness.
For more information on how these forecasters come up with their avalanche predictions, check out the video.
On Tuesday we will take a look at the necessary gear people should have when they enter the backcountry, how to properly use it and where you can go to practice your skills.
