Several close calls have occurred in western Wyoming during the past two days. Yesterday a skier was caught and partially buried but not injured near Teton Pass and a skier was caught and carried a short distance on Togwotee Pass. On Saturday two skiers were carried but not injured in Grand Teton National Park. Large persistent slab avalanches that could fail on a deeply buried layer of weak faceted snow continue to be a significant hazard. Recently formed wind slabs could also be triggered on steep avalanche prone slopes. These slab avalanches may become more sensitive to human triggers during the warmest portion of the day. A careful analysis of the snowack and terrain combined with conservative terrain choices are essential for safe travel in avalanche terrain. Avalanches are unlikely below an elevation of 7,500 feet.
Surface slabs formed by southwest to west winds could be triggered by skiers or riders on steep avalanche prone slopes. These wind slabs could be up to two feet deep.
Dangerous deep slab avalanches continue to be a hazard at the mid and upper elevations. These large slab avalanches are most likely to be released by a snowmachine, however, the weight of a single person could cause failure if a shallow trigger point is encountered. These slabs could propagate long distances, have depths to five feet and are likely to carry severe consequences to anyone involved.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )The moisture that has been moving into the region in a northwest flow will decrease overnight. Skies are forecast to be partly cloudy on Monday. Temperatures will be in the 20s tonight and rise to near 30 at 10,500 feet and into the upper 30s in the valleys on Monday. Winds will be from the west to west-southwest and will decrease to 20 with gusts to 30 miles per hour.At the upper elevations of the Teton Range wind slabs with depths to 30 inches could be easily triggered by skiers and riders in steep wind loaded avalanche paths and cliff areas. Smaller wind slabs 8 inches to 2 feet in depth could be human triggered in similar terrain in the other forecast regions. Dangerous deep slab avalanches 3 to 5 feet in depth could also be triggered by snowmachines and or a skier in all of our forecast areas. Tomorrow's sunshine and warm temperatures are expected to increase the sensitivity of these slabs to human triggers. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE in the Togwotee Pass area, the Greys River area and at the mid elevations of the Teton area. The hazard at the upper elevations (9,000 to 10,500 feet) of the Teton area is expected to be CONSIDERABLE.
