Unstable areas continue to pose a threat to people who are recreating in avalanche terrain. Sunshine and warm temperatures will increase the hazard as the day progresses. Multiple close calls involving avalanches have occurred during the past two days. Yesterday one snowmobiler was fully buried and a second was partially buried by an avalanche in the Salt River Range. In the southern Teton Range a skier was nearly swept over a cliff by a small avalanche and required a rope rescue. On Thursday a skier was partially buried but not injured in the same area. A snowmobiler was partially buried and seriously injured in the Salt River Range on Monday. Similar events are possible today. Excellent terrain evaluation skills and conservative terrain choices are essential for safe travel in avalanche terrain.
DANGEROUS unstable slabs one to four feet in depth lie upon buried layers of weak faceted snow. These slabs can be triggered by humans who venture onto steep slopes. The potential for humans to trigger these slab avalanches will increase as air temperatures increase and the sun warms snow surfaces. Some steep slopes may be crossed multiple times before a weak spot is encountered and the slope fails.
Expect cloud cover to increase overnight before light to moderate snow showers develop in the early morning hours and continue through the day on Sunday. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the mid teens before rising a few degrees during the day. Southwesterly to westerly ridgetop winds will range from 15 to 25 miles per hour.In the Tetons and the Togwotee Pass area, the General Avalanche Hazard is expected to be MODERATE on Sunday. Backcountry travelers venturing into steep, avalanche prone terrain could trigger persistent slabs with depths of one to three feet. New wind slabs could also develop during the day with depths of six to twelve inches by the evening. Moderate hazard is not a green light. Evaluate the snow and terrain carefully, and identify features of concern. The General Avalanche Hazard is expected to be CONSIDERABLE in the Greys River area where unstable conditions continue to pose a threat to skier and riders recreating in steep avalanche terrain. There, dangerous persistent slabs could be triggered to depths of four feet. New snow will increase the load on underlying weak layers along with creating new shallow wind slabs. Cautious route finding and conservative decision making will be required for safe travel in avalanche terrain on Sunday.
