Tetons

At the mid and upper elevations, pockets of dense surface slab up to thirty inches deep rest upon buried surface hoar and sun crusts. The possibility persists for backcountry travelers to trigger these slabs in steep, avalanche-prone terrain. At the lower elevations, the snowpack is mostly stable and avalanches are unlikely. Yesterday, a ski mountaineer was swept over a cliff and perished after triggering a two foot deep surface slab on a southeast face near the summit of the South Teton at 12,100 feet. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim. The Grand Teton Rangers would like to remind skiers and climbers that conditions on the higher peaks can be vastly different above the Bridger-Teton upper elevation forecast at 10,500 feet.

On Tuesday, expect mostly clear skies and temperature inversions with overnight lows in the mountains near zero and into the negative single digits in the valley. Temperatures will climb into the 20s up high and a little cooler down low. Ridgetop winds will be northwesterly at 10 to 20 miles per hour.In steep terrain, the General Avalanche Hazard is expected to be:MODERATE in the Teton area where it will be possible for backcountry travelers to trigger pockets of dense surface slab up to thirty inches deep.CONSIDERABLE in the Greys River area. Skiers and riders could trigger surface slabs to two feet along with dangerous, full depth hard slabs.MODERATE in the Togwotee Pass area where triggering hard slabs to the ground will be possible.