Avalanche conditions remain dangerous at the mid and high elevations. The snowpack is underlain by weak faceted snow on north facing slopes above 8500 feet and on additional aspects as elevation rises. Recent snow could be triggered as small wind slabs but the greater concern and likelihood lies with the ability for a single person or a moving surface slab to trigger deeper layers involving snow that has fallen since late November. Tracks are not an indication of stability and slopes may fail after several people have already tracked it. Yesterday a skier remotely triggered a slide on Teton Pass after terrain in close proximity had been tracked (see event page of website for observation and photo). Exercising discipline to stay in low angle terrain as well as understanding the distribution and evaluating the persistent snow layer(s) is essential for safe backcountry travel. Avalanches at low elevations are not expected today.
At the mid and upper elevations recent snow and strong winds have further increased the load on weak faceted snow layers that persist near the base of the snowpack. In steep avalanche terrain humans could trigger these dangerous slab avalanches that could range in depth from one to four feet.
One to three inches of snow is expected to fall in the mountains tomorrow as moisture passes through the area. This snow is expected to fall mainly during the later morning and early afternoon with partial clearing expected during the evening. Morning temperatures are to be in the teens at all elevations with afternoon highs in the low twenties at the higher elevations and the high twenties at the lower elevations. The general avalanche hazard will remain Considerable. Above 8500 feet, dangerous avalanche conditions continue. Persistent week layers that were covered in late November could be triggered by presence of a single person, even after a slope has been tracked several times. These slabs could have depths of one two three feet. Below 8500 feet avalanche activity could occur in isolated locations and below 8000 feet avalanche activity is not expected.
