Avalanche Forecast By Zone
News
The Good- Temperatures are dropping and there is some snow in the mountains. We are hopeful that the La Nina stars will align on the West Central Mountains for a great winter this year. The Friends have a lot of great events planned and will be hosting several classes through the winter as well. We will have our calendar updated in the next few days. In the meantime, save the date, our season kickoff event will be 11/23 at Salmon River Brewery Tap House.
The Bad– The PAC and the USFS are seeing some huge budget issues this year which means there is almost no funding available to the PAC beyond forecaster salaries this winter. While the PAC is fully funded to provide 4 Avalanche Advisories per week this winter, that means that the Friends are going to have to help fund a lot this winter. Continuing education expenses, replacement equipment including a snowmobile trailer and one additional snowmobile are just a few things that the Friends are trying to help fund this winter. That is in addition to our regular operating costs that include website hosting and maintenance, weather station hosting and maintenance, forecaster continuing education, and our annual insurance. This means that the Friends are going to be relying on community support at all levels to help the PAC keep the lights on. First and foremost is going to be the purchase of a replacement trailer.
The Ugly– Our current trailer was purchased in 2009 with a grant, it is literally rusting away. Our goal is to use a $7500 grant we just received from the Idaho State Snowmobile Association and Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation as seed money to replace it with a new enclosed trailer as soon as possible. Our immediate fundraising goal is $12,500 to purchase a locally manufactured 3 place trailer. The pics below show the road salt induced rust that is eating the frame and the side seams on the PAC trailer, both doors have fallen off when the hinges rusted out and have been rewelded several times. It had a good ride but is becoming unsafe and needs to go away.
Matching funds update 11/2/2024 We have a donor that is willing to help with our trailer funding up to $2500 if we can get $2500 in donations. We received $300 towards this goal yesterday. Time is of the essence and we need to get the trailer ordered. Please help us meet this match and donate here.
Let us know what we can do better– Help us improve avalanche forecasts! CLICK HERE to participate in a 20-minute survey and be entered into a prize drawing. Simon Fraser University is collaborating with US avalanche centers to better understand how useful avalanche forecast information is for trip planning.
Our Sponsors-
Nomadic Welding /Fabrication
The Baum Shelter Too in Warren
Sponsorship opportunities:
Each of the businesses above has generously donated to support PAC operations in the past. We offer basic sponsorships for cash or donated items that get your business listed on our website and featured throughout the season on our social media posts as well as a limited number of daily sponsorships that feature a listing, link, and exposure on the daily advisory, email, and in our social media posts. If you would like to find out which option is best for your business and want to help support avalanche forecasting in the West Central Mountains for the 23/24 season, contact [email protected] for more information. It’s a great way to get exposure for your company with our audience. All donation are tax deductible, the Friends are a registered 501(c)3 entity.
Sponsor Levels
Trailer sponsor-$2000 (cash only)
Daily Advisory Sponsor-$1250 (cash or donated goods)
Other corporate and individual amounts can be found on our sponsors page
SUPPORT THE PAC – Your continued support is essential to keeping the PAC up and running. Find out about our new membership program and other ways to support local avalanche forecasting by reaching out to [email protected], or click the Donate button at the top of the page. Your contribution helps the PAC provide you with the info you need to be safe in the mountains.
Submit your observations– Submitting observations is another great way to support the PAC. It helps us as well as others see what you may only be seeing. It’s quick, easy, and posts instantly on our website. Every bit of info helps so click on submit an observation Your submission also enters you into a monthly drawing for gear. Now that it is snowing, your observations are essential!