Lawinenlagebericht

Snake River Range

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
Auf der Karte ansehen

Lawinengefahr

Fri
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 8 months ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Triggering an avalanche involving wind drifted snow around a foot deep is possible in steep, wind loaded terrain above 8,000’ feet today. Very windy conditions yesterday formed stubborn wind slabs in locations that could catch a person off guard. Carefully evaluate steep, upper elevation terrain for signs of loading and give loaded features a wide margin.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–2

    The Snake received 6-8 inches of dense new snow in the past 24 hours. Strong winds out of the SW, W, and NW redistributed this snow and formed stiff slabs up to a foot deep in wind loaded terrain above 8,000’. Given the high wind speeds (gusts to 90mph!), watch for wind slab formation in unusual locations. Reports from yesterday indicate that the recent snow was bonding better than expected to the underlying rain crust that is present up to 10,000’ on all aspects. While stubborn, triggering an avalanche in steep, wind loaded terrain is not out of the question today.

    Several inches of new snow could fall by this evening and should do little to increase the avalanche danger.

    Note the unusual loading pattern on the slope in the foreground. This photo was taken last week after a very strong wind event.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely
    Größe
    1.5–2.5

    Weak layers of snow that formed in November are buried 2-4 feet deep beneath hard slabs. These slabs have been largely unreactive in recent days due to a strong upper snowpack and time for adjustment between layers. The last avalanches involving old snow from November occurred 8 days ago after an impressive loading event. The likelihood of triggering a large persistent slab avalanche is on the low end of the scale today. However, significant snowfall is expected in the coming days, which will load these weak layers and potentially increase the chances of deeper avalanches.

Avalanche Discussion

Last week’s warm and windy storm left a rain crust across all aspects up to at least 10,000’ in the Snake. This surface is well connected and very slick. Snowfall yesterday was less than expected, and came in warm with very strong winds. Initial reports indicate that this snow has bonded decently to the crust, but observations are minimal. Keep your guard up if traveling in windy upper elevation terrain. Strong winds, like we saw yesterday, can form slabs further off ridgelines than expected. Cliff bands, rocky terrain, and cross loaded gullies are also suspect. Wind slabs are likely to be stubborn, but could catch a rider off guard in certain pieces of terrain. 

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