Dangerous avalanche conditions exist at the mid and upper elevations, where humans can trigger large slab avalanches. These slabs could be from the recent storm and have the potential to step down into persistent weak layers of faceted snow. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision making are essential for safe travel in avalanche terrain today.
At the upper elevations, dense slab avalanches involving the recent new snow can be human triggered on a variety of aspects. Slab depths could be one to three feet with the deeper depths favoring the upper elevation avalanche starting zones. At the lower elevations, small wind slabs up to 18 inches in depth could be human triggered on isolated terrain features.
Above 8,000 feet, weak snow lies near the base of the snowpack. This weakness is most likely to be found on northwest through northeast aspects, although it does exist on other aspects at the higher elevations. New snow is stressing this layer, making it more susceptible to failure. If triggered, these avalanches could have crown depths up to five feet in depth and it would be difficult to survive one of these hard slab avalanches.
After mostly dry conditions tonight, the flow aloft will back to the southwest and bring a shot of new snow to the region during the day. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the mid-teens before rising into the mid-20s in the afternoon. Southwesterly ridgetop winds will increase to 20 to 30 miles per hour.On Saturday, the general avalanche hazard is expected to remain Considerable at the higher elevations in the Teton and Southwest Trails forecast zones. Skiers and riders could easily trigger recently developed wind slabs with depths of one to three feet in steep, wind loaded terrain. Lower down, where recent winds were less significant, smaller human triggered avalanches will be possible.The recent storm cycle produced less snowfall on Togwotee Pass, and Moderate hazard is expected on Saturday. Skiers and riders still have the potential of triggering similar wind slabs, and depths could be up to 30 inches in the most wind loaded terrain. In all forecast zones, persistent deep slab avalanches remain a concern. Skiers and riders still have some potential of triggering these slabs, which are more likely to occur on northwest through northeast aspects. The release of a wind slab could also initiate one of these slabs, and depths could reach five feet. Involvement in one of these slides could easily have fatal consequences.
