Avalanche forecast

Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Human triggered avalanches will be likely at the middle and upper elevations, especially where wind affected snow overlies buried weak layers and crusts. Areas of the forecast zone with shallower snowpacks such as the Wyoming Range harbor weak snow deep within the snowpack. Pay attention to signs of instability such as cracking within wind drifted snow and use your shovel to assess buried weak layers. 

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    The March 20th interface is now buried 2-3 feet below a stout slab. Active loading of new snow with heavy wind transport will add stress and increase the chance of triggering a large avalanche. This layer is composed of facets/crusts on solar aspects and small preserved facets on northerly aspects protected by the sun. The sensitivity and distribution of this layer is hard to gauge due to the varying slab depths, recent temperature fluctuations, and differing characteristics across slope aspects. Remote triggering could occur from gentler slopes above, below, or adjacent to steep slopes. Wind loaded terrain will have the highest likelihood of finding reactivity. Long story short: persistent slab avalanches are unpredictable, so careful snowpack evaluation is required. 

    In areas with a weaker snowpack, such as the southern portion of the Wyoming Range, deeper weak layers still remain a concern. Triggering a wind slab or persistent slab on the March 20th interface could step down to these layers resulting in a large to very large avalanche. 

    (3/28/2023)

    The third rider near or on slope triggered 1' thick soft slab from the diagonal track on the right. The slab slid on a slick crust with small facets on it that was buried March 20.

    Photo: Frank Carus

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    Wind slabs: Soft wind slabs that are 1-2 feet thick will be sensitive to human triggering at the middle and upper elevations. Winds averaged out of the WSW and will veer to the W today. 

    Storm slabs: Soft storm slabs up to 1 foot in depth could be lingering in sheltered terrain at the middle and lower elevations. 

    Dry Loose: Dry loose avalanches could pose a threat in steep terrain. 

    The failure plane for all new snow problems will likely be the most recent crust that was buried on 3/30.

Avalanche Discussion

The Greys River Zone has picked up 3-9 inches of snow over the last 24 hours. Winds have averaged out of the WSW around 10 mph on the ridgelines. Current temperatures are in the teens in the valleys and near 10 degrees on the peaks. An upsloping storm could bring decent amounts of snow to the southern  and eastern edge of the Wyoming Range (an area of the zone that has plenty weak snow).  

Recent avalanche activity was observed in the Poker Creek drainage on 3/31, but over the last 3 days observations have been lacking. 

Regions covered