Avalanche danger higher after massive central Idaho wildfire

The director of the Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center has warned that backcountry skiers in central Idaho face increased avalanche danger because of last summer's fire. Fire managers declared the Castle Rock fire contained on September 4th, but not before the 78-square-mile blaze had forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 homes near Ketchum. The fire also came within 50 yards of a $12 million Sun Valley ski lodge on Bald Mountain.
The timber and sagebrush that burned in the fire helped anchor snow on the slopes and so reduced the risk of avalanche. ...The fire also thinned timbered ridgelines that once sheltered slopes from wind-drifted snow. Without this vegetation, while the slopes have become more accessible to skiers and snowboarders, the risk of avalanche has increased.
Across the Payette and Boise National Forests, where fire also scorched the landscape, it's the same story.

From: http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=7403287&nav=menu227_7
And: http://www.argusobserver.com/articles/2007/11/25/news/doc47493bfe2b6bb144451312.txt
And: http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-nov2507-avalance_danger.3cb27c16.html