Togwotee Pass

The potential exists for triggering a large avalanche that fails on weak layers near the ground. Very steep slopes on the north half of the compass that are rocky and wind affected are most suspect. Carefully evaluate the snowpack for buried weak layers and avoid consequential slopes that end in a gully or other terrain trap.

Snow surfaces on Togwotee range from windboard to sun crusts to soft recycled powder to stiff sastrugi. Southerly and exposed windward slopes are thin with bare ground showing where wind and sun have taken their toll. On top of that, there are tracks everywhere. Don’t let the scarcity of untracked, soft snow lure you into very steep north facing slopes. Many of these slopes end in terrain traps and tight gullies and should be avoided. The recent fatality in the southern Salt River range is a sobering reminder that an isolated and relatively small avalanche in consequential terrain can have a tragic outcome. Large triggers like snowmobile groups gathered closely on the same slope or falling cornices increase the chances of triggering an avalanche. Stability tests are improving but still show the potential for reactivity on buried weak layers where the snowpack is shallow. Travel one at a time around very steep slopes and give yourself a margin on slopes where the consequences of getting caught in an avalanche are high.

While there is little to no loose snow available for transport in the upper elevations, keep an eye out for isolated pockets of potentially unstable wind slabs.