Tetons

Yesterday, a skier triggered a 2 foot soft slab in Granite canyon on a northerly aspect around 8,800 feet. Similar slides are likely to be triggered today at the mid and upper elevations. There, persistent deep slab instabilities maintain dangerous avalanche conditions and extra caution is warranted. Backcountry travelers venturing into avalanche terrain could trigger hard slabs up to six feet in depth in areas that have not seen recent activity. Given the depth of these slabs, a slope could be crossed numerous times before a skier or rider finds an avenue to impact one of the weak layers of concern. Do not let previous skier or rider traffic lure you into compromising terrain; if initiated, these slides are likely to carry dire consequences. At the lower elevations, skiers and riders could trigger pockets of slab up to 2 feet deep in steep, avalanche prone terrain.

Cloud cover will increase overnight ahead a Pacific weather system that will bring four to eight inches of new snow during the day on Monday and into the evening. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the upper teens before rising into the low 20s in the afternoon. Westerly ridgetop winds will increase to 25 to 35 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be CONSIDERABLE on Monday. As new snow accumulates, fresh soft slabs will build. New snow will also add weight to persistent deep slab instabilities, and dangerous avalanche conditions will continue. Backcountry travelers venturing into avalanche terrain could trigger hard slabs up to six feet deep in areas that have not seen recent activity. Given the depth of these slabs, a slope could be crossed numerous times before a skier or rider finds an avenue to impact one of the weak layers of concern. Do not let previous skier or rider traffic lure you into compromising terrain; if initiated, these slides are likely to carry dire consequences.