Nearly four feet of snow has fallen in Tetons this week. This recent snow lies upon hard snow surfaces and crusts. At the mid and upper elevations wind slabs could be triggered by backcountry riders and skiers. This slab hazard increases in size and sensitivity as elevation increases. Yesterday a skier triggered a two to three foot slab on a north aspect on the west side of the Tetons on the TNT path. Careful snowpack evaluation and conservative decision making is essential. Avalanches at low elevations are unlikely.
At the mid and upper elevations soft surface slabs one to four feet in depth could be triggered by humans in steep avalanche prone terrain. These slabs were formed by southwest to northwest winds.
A mostly sunny day is expected on Friday. Temperatures at higher elevations are to reach the mid to upper twenties. Winds are to be light. The general avalanche hazard will increase from Moderate to Considerable in the Southwest Trails and Teton areas. In both of these areas sunlight and warming will make recently formed slabs more sensitive to failure. These soft slabs could have depths to three feet. In the eastern portion of the southwest trails area a slight chance remains to trigger deep slabs in a few avalanche paths.In the Togwotee Pass area, the hazard will be Moderate. Soft slabs to a foot in depth could be triggered and there is also a slight chance to trigger deep slabs in high, steep, avalanche paths.
