Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

The general avalanche hazard remains CONSIDERABLE. Dangerous instabilities persist deep in the snowpack. Yesterday a group of skiers are believed to have remotely triggered a deep hard slab on a very steep southeast facing upper elevation chute in the Teton Range. Photographs of this slide can be viewed at http://www.tetonat.com/. Today's sunshine and warm temperatures will increase the potential for humans to trigger deep dangerous hard slabs up to six feet deep and dense surface slabs up to 18 inches deep in steep avalanche prone terrain. Conservative decisions regarding exposure to steep terrain are advised.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )High pressure will build over the mountains of western Wyoming into Thursday. Mostly clear skies are forecasted and the northwest winds should slow to 15 miles per hour. Mountain temperatures will rise into the upper twenties. The General Avalanche Hazard will be MODERATE in the Tetons Wednesday. Soft slabs to two feet in depth could be human triggered in isolated areas on steep, avalanche prone lee slopes with good wind deposition. Deep slab instabilities lurk in the depths of the snowpack but are likely to require larger triggers like multiple people on a slope. Unseasonable warm temperatures will make triggering slides easier. Ski in the trees. The General Avalanche Hazard in the Greys River/Southwest trails area and the Continental Divide/Togwotee Pass area will be CONSIDERABLE. Weak, faceted snow at the base of the snowpack has been the cause of several dangerous hard slab avalanches in the Angle Mountain area that have been triggered remotely by skiers and snowboarders. Other steep areas in that region and the east side of the Wyoming Range have similar conditions and the new snow will make triggering deep slides by riders likely. Surface slabs to eighteen inches in depth similar to those in the Tetons could also be triggered in the mountains of the Greys River area.