The potential continues for backcountry travelers to easily trigger slab avalanches in steep terrain at the high elevations. These slabs were formed during recent winds and snowfall and lie over a combination of weak snow grains and hard October crusts on several aspects. Avalanches are unlikely in areas that are not underlain by this persistent weak layer. Expert terrain evaluation skills and a conservative approach are essential for safe travel in high elevation terrain. Special Announcement: Tonight is the Avalanche Awareness Night event, hosted by Skinny Skis, at the Center for the Arts. This season kick off event is a benefit for both the B=T Avalanche Center and TCSAR.
Dangerous slab avalanches up to three feet in depth could be human triggered on east through north to west facing terrain at the upper elevations and in isolated avalanche paths that face north at the mid elevations.
On Friday, expect partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies before cloud cover increases in the afternoon as a weak disturbance begins to move into the region. Light, scattered snow showers could linger overnight in the mountains and return late in the day on Friday. Overnight lows at the higher elevations will drop into the single digits before rising to near 10 in the afternoon. Northwesterly to northerly ridgetop winds will range from 5 to 15 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE on Friday. The primary avalanche problem remains persistent slab. Two components are needed for backcountry travelers to encounter this problem. First, the crust/facet combinations needs to be present. It primarily exists on westerly through northerly to easterly aspects above 9,000 feet and dips below 9,000 feet in mostly shaded terrain. Second, there needs to be a strong enough slab to propagate failure of the faceted snow. These two components are fairly straight forward to identify by either knowing where this layer exists and assessing surface conditions, or by digging a snowpit. These slabs could range in depth from one to three feet depending on location. In the Tetons, where more snow has accumulated, slab depths will be on the higher end of the range. Less snow has fallen in the Togwotee Pass and Greys River areas, and shallower slab depths are expected.
