Conditions remain dangerous at the mid and upper elevations. New snowfall continues to load a snowpack with poor structure. Human triggered avalanches are likely on steep slopes. Collapses, cracking and recent avalanche incidents are indications of instability and should be an alarm to avoid steep slopes. Conservative terrain choices are essential for safe travel in the mountains today. Avalanches are unlikely below an elevation of 7,500 feet.
Persistent slabs up to two feet in depth lie upon a base of weak, faceted snow. These dangerous slabs could be triggered by the weight of a single person on a variety of aspects and propagate across terrain boundaries. These slabs can remain unstable for days or weeks and pose a significant hazard to backcountry users.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Snow is to taper off by midnight. Sunny skies are expected Thursday morning before cloud cover increases and the next storm bring snow to the area Thursday night. Temperatures are to remain on the cooler side with mountain highs reaching the teens to low twenties. Winds are to veer to the northwest with 10-20 mph averages during the day.The general avalanche hazard is to remain Moderate in the Tetons and Considerable in the Togwotee Pass and Southwest Trails areas. There is not a lot of distinction between these ratings other than slabs are slightly less sensitive to triggers in the Teton area at this time. The catch to this scenario is that where many slopes may not fail, it is difficult to identify which slopes are still prone to failure. Slab depths can reach 3 feet in the Teton area while the Togwotee and Southwest trails area could have slab depths to two feet.
