Avalanche forecast

Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
No rating
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Triggering a large, 1.5-3-foot thick avalanche is possible on many steep slopes. Slides are most likely on slopes that have been drifted by the wind but could also occur in wind-sheltered terrain. Choose lower-angled, wind-sheltered terrain to reduce your risk. Avalanches may be triggered remotely—from gentler terrain above, below, and to the sides of steep slopes.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    You could trigger a large, dangerous, persistent slab avalanche on many steep slopes currently. December storms buried weak snow that now lurks beneath 1.5-3' thick slabs. While weak layers are nothing new for us, what is unique is that our current problem continues to produce recent remote activity, implying it is well-connected and reactive. This interface of weak snow exists in many middle and upper-elevation zones. Though we haven't seen much evidence of activity on upper-elevation southerly aspects, folks outside the boundary of Targhee found unstable snow in these locations. Assume it exists on a slope until proven otherwise. 

    Yes, our snowpack is slowly improving, and you are less likely to trigger a slide than a week ago. But continued reports of dramatic collapses and poor snowpack test scores are solid evidence that the risk remains too high—and the consequences too great. 

    (12/12/2023) A recent avalanche showing a crown depth taper from shallower new snow to a large, 3-foot-deep avalanche.

Avalanche Discussion

We are pattern recognition machines. We look for trends in what we see in the mountains, in observations from others, and hedge in a splash of uncertainty. Time but creeps with a persistent slab problem like this one. The grey area between when a layer of snow shifts from "reactive" to "stubborn" is vast and complex when we relate it to something of value (i.e., YOU) triggering a large avalanche. Many tracks can exist on a slope before a large avalanche is triggered. A bowl full of tracks is just that: a bowl full of tracks and not evidence of a stable slope. I'm hopeful that a transition towards stability will occur, but for now, this problem is still rearing an ugly head. As natural avalanche activity tapers, keep this avalanche problem and where we've been seeing it in the forefront of your mind. A week of high pressure will trend us towards seeking dry snow on northerly slopes, which is precisely where this problem has been highlighted. Have fun, enjoy the sunshine and warmer temperatures, and picture where an avalanche would carry you before diving into steep, consequential avalanche terrain.

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