Yesterday a party of three skiers were caught and partially buried but not injured by a deep slab avalanche on a north aspect of Breccia Mountain near Togwotee Pass. On Saturday two snowboarders were buried but not injured on Teton Pass. An avalanche killed a skier on Henderson Mt. near Cooke City yesterday afternoon. Wind slabs could be human triggered on a variety of aspects today. At the upper elevations very large slabs avalanches with depths to six feet could be human triggered. Strong winds continue to load leeward aspects and therefor natural avalanche activity continues to be a possibility. Expert avalanche hazard assessment and route finding skills are essential for safe travel in avalanche terrain today.
Wind slabs formed by southwest to west-northwest winds could be human triggered with depths from one to three feet on a variety of aspects. Gusty winds will continue to load avalanche starting zones and could cause these wind slabs to release naturally.
Deep persistent slabs, which lie upon a faceted snow/rain crust combination in terrain that held snow from early October continue to be a serious threat. Surviving one of these slides is unlikely. These very dangerous slides could be triggered by the weight of a person or release naturally with depths to six feet.
Snow showers will persist into the early evening hours before decreasing. Several inches of additional accumulation are likely overnight. There will be some flurries or periods of lighter snowfall during the day. Temperatures will remain in the single digits and teens in the mountains. Winds will be westerly and decrease to 15 with gusts to 25 miles per hour. The general avalanche hazard will continue to be CONSIDERABLE at the upper elevations where large to very large deep slab avalanche activity continues to be a serious threat. The general avalanche hazard at the mid elevations is expected to be MODERATE with areas of heightened avalanche hazard. The hazard is anticipated to be LOW below an elevation of 7,500 feet where avalanches are unlikely except in isolated terrain features.
