Lawinenlagebericht

Tetons

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Tue
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 2 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

You could trigger a wind slab avalanche in upper elevation terrain—identify and avoid slopes with evidence of wind drifting. As the day warms up, loose snow avalanches could occur on steep slopes facing the sun. Larger avalanches that fail on weak layers buried 2-4 feet deep are unlikely but carry high consequences. Continue to evaluate the snowpack you move in—particularly if those slopes have not been traveled for most of the season and lack information—& practice safe travel habits.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely
    Größe
    1–2

    Low-density snow from the past 48 hours will continue redistributing in light to moderate winds at upper elevations. N-NW winds have been blowing relatively lightly but consistently—including yesterday and overnight. Northerly winds often blow upslope, creating unusual loading patterns and cross-loading.  These winds have been transporting snow and building slabs atop weak snow surfaces, forming soft slabs 1-2 feet deep on the leeward sides of ridges and slopes above 9,000’. These slabs will be most sensitive to the weight of a rider in very steep (>35°) and exposed starting zones. Look for signs of wind loading, including fresh drifts, textured surfaces, and features that may remain soft but appear dune-like and rippled. The best approach is to "identify and avoid." 

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely
    Größe
    1.5–2.5

    Weak layers of snow that are buried 2-4 feet below exist primarily on the north half of the compass. You are most likely to tangle with this problem if you trigger an avalanche of newer snow, and it steps down to deeper layers. Four days ago, a large avalanche, likely triggered by a wind slab, was reported in Saint Patty's Day Couloir. Very steep (>35°), rocky,  consistently shallow, and unsupported terrain features are most suspect. This avalanche problem is currently a low-likelihood but high-consequence scenario. Choosing terrain that reduces your exposure to overhead hazards and practicing safe travel habits continue to be necessary with this setup.

    A wind slab avalanche that likely stepped down into old snow. 

    (1/9/2025) St. Patty's Day Couloir SS-R3-D2.5-N-O. 

    Photo: Brian Smith

Avalanche Discussion

There's nothing quite like the powder snow produced from north flow. It can hold just enough moisture to deposit a sizeable amount of the softest snow you could ever ride. And I know I'm not the only one enjoying this snow currently. Even with avalanche conditions trending towards greater stability, continue to evaluate and re-evaluate new snow conditions, especially with fresh snow available for transport. How I travel doesn't change, even if the avalanche hazard does. This means that honest communication, snowpack evaluation in the terrain I choose, and moving one at a time in avalanche terrain is a bare minimum I expect from myself [and my partners]. As humans traveling in objectively hazardous terrain, the mountain will always hold the cards. I continue to observe variable snow depths across this zone and facets near the ground, which are more apparent in shallow locations: from the west to the east side of the Park to locations around the Pass, not to mention the north end of the range. It's not hard to find several flavors of weak snow in the Tetons. These range from mingling upper-snowpack/new snow instabilities to deeper weak facets. The harder part right now (as someone who seeks that instability) is finding the right spot where the pattern and spatial spread of weak layer slab properties = avalanche. 

For the majority start of the season, we've had to tango with a persistent problem mixed in with an "I don't want to injure myself with variable coverage" mindset. When my face is getting blasted with fresh powder after some effortless, surfy riding on a bluebird day, it's worth recognizing that emotional and physical states can hijack our decision-making. Don't go to the grocery store hungry—keep your head on a swivel and look for evidence beneath the surface when making slope-scale decisions. 

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