Togwotee Pass

The avalanche danger is Low today. The majority of terrain holds mostly stable snow. The exception to this is on steep wind loaded terrain features in the upper elevations. Isolated pockets of newly formed wind slab, 4-6” in depth, may be triggered by riders. These slabs will have enough volume to move a snowmobile in unintended directions or knock skiers off of their feet. This will be more of an issue in terrain that is exposed to hazards below such as cliffs, gullies and trees. Be on the lookout for signs of recent wind loading such as smooth, rounded pockets of snow and shooting cracks. As always it is important to follow safe travel protocols by exposing only one person at a time and utilizing islands of safety in steep terrain.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Cloud cover will increase overnight with light snow showers developing by morning. Snowfall will continue during the day with accumulations around 1-2” in the mountains. Temperatures between 8,000-9,000 feet will dip into the low twenties tonight before climbing back into the upper twenties during the day tomorrow. Ridgetop winds will be in the 20-25 mph range overnight out of the west. Wind speeds will diminish slightly tomorrow with average speeds of 15-20 mph.The avalanche danger will remain Low tomorrow. The exception to this will be in steep upper elevation terrain where it will be possible to find isolated pockets of shallow wind slab. With new snow in the forecast, it will be important to remember what the current snow surfaces are. The 2-4” of new snow from this past week fell on slick sun crusts, wind pressed snow, sastrugi as well as facets and surface hoar. Strong winds today helped to create more variability of snow surfaces. Keep this in mind as slabs begin to slowly build tomorrow and into Monday and Tuesday.