Several days of west to northwest winds have created pockets of new wind slab up to a foot deep and increased the load on dangerous persistent slabs. Large slab avalanches with depths to four feet could be triggered by riders or skiers in steep avalanche prone terrain Avalanches are unlikely below an elevation of 7,500 feet.
Hard slabs, with depths to four feet, lie upon persistent weak layers of faceted snow on a variety of aspects. A snowmobile, the weight of a single skier or the release of a pocket of surface slab could trigger one of these hard slabs. Previous tracks and the lack of recent avalanche activity are not indications of stability.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Skies will continue to be at least partly cloudy with a chance of snow flurries, light snow showers and areas of morning valley fog. Temperatures will remain in the single digits and teens. Winds will remain west-northwesterly and are forecast to diminish to 5 to 15 miles per hour.At the upper elevations pockets of surface slab formed by west-northwest winds with depths to 18 inches could be human triggered in steep avalanche starting zones and cliff areas. Persistent slabs with depths from two to five feet continue to be a threat at the mid and upper elevations. These slabs are likely to be more sensitive to human triggers in the Togwotee Pass and Greys River areas and may be human triggered in isolated areas on a variety of aspects in the Teton forecast area. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE at the mid and upper elevations and LOW below an elevation of 7,500 feet.
