Yesterday, a skier cut a ten inch pocket in Twice Is Nice to the south of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. This slide occurred in extreme terrain on a southerly aspect at 10,700 feet in elevation. Similar slides might be triggered by backcountry travelers in very steep couloirs and cliff areas at the upper elevations. As the day warms, the likelihood of triggering these slides will increase in sunlit terrain. Daytime warming will also bring about the possibility of wet loose slides on sun-affected slopes along with the chance for cornice failures. Monitor the effect that the sun is having on snow surfaces and move to shaded slopes once significant warming is observed.
Above 9,000 feet, isolated pockets of wind slab formed by west-southwest to west winds exist on leeward slopes. These dense surface slabs, with depths up to one foot, might be triggered by skiers and riders in very steep terrain. These small slides have the potential to sweep skiers and riders off their feet and carry them over cliff bands or take them for long rides down very steep, sustained couloirs.
As the day warms, shallow wet loose slides will become possible on steep, sunlit aspects above 9,000 feet. These slides are most likely to emanate from cliff bands and rock outcroppings.
Cloud cover will increase during the day on Saturday, and a slight chance for precipitation will occur in the afternoon. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the mid teens before increasing to near 40 during the day. Southwesterly ridgetop winds will range from 5 to 15 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be LOW in the Tetons on Friday morning. Backcountry travelers might be able to trigger an isolated pocket of shallow wind slab in very steep, avalanche-prone terrain above 9,000 feet. While small, these slides have the potential to sweep skiers and riders over cliff bands or take them for long rides down very steep, sustained couloirs. If extended periods of sunshine occur, daytime warming could increase the likelihood of triggering these slides on sunlit aspects and also bring about the possibility of wet loose slides in sun-affected terrain. In isolated areas of the Togwotee Pass and Greys River forecast zones, some potential may remain for snowmobilers to trigger deep hard slab avalanches failing on buried persistent layers of faceted snow. In those areas, the hazard will remain MODERATE.
