The Grand Targhee Resort received 7 inches of new snow yesterday afternoon. That snowfall was accompanied by very light winds. In steep terrain at the upper elevations skiers and riders could trigger pockets of wind slab and loose snow sloughs. Avalanches are unlikely at the mid and lower elevations except on isolated terrain features.
Humans who venture into steep avalanche starting zones could trigger wind slab avalanches 1 to 2 feet in depth above an elevation of 9,000 feet. Isolated pockets of wind slab up to a foot in depth could be triggered on very steep terrain features at the mid elevations.
Dry conditions with seasonal to slightly below average temperatures will continue through the weekend. Skies will be mostly clear on Friday. Winds will be light and from the northwest. Temperatures will drop into the single digits by morning and rise into the 20s and 30s during the day. Persistent deep slab avalanches could be triggered on some steep avalanche prone slopes in the Togwotee Pass and Greys River/Southwest Trails areas. These dangerous slabs could be three to six feet deep and are most likely to be initiated by larger triggers such as snowmachines and sizable cornice drops. Conduct snow stability assessments and understand that previous tracks may not indicate a slope is stable. At the higher elevations wind slab avalanches 1 to 2 feet deep could be triggered by humans who venture into steep avalanche starting zones. Sunshine and warming temperatures may increase the wet snow avalanche hazard on steep sunlit slopes during the warmest portion of the day. The general avalanche hazard is expected to me moderate at the mid and upper elevations and low at the lower elevations.
