Tetons

While avalanche activity is unlikely this morning, low hazard does not mean no hazard. Skiers and riders might be able to trigger a small, isolated pocket of wind slab in steep terrain near upper elevation ridgelines that were not impacted by the sun yesterday. On sunlit aspects in the mountains, shallow wet slides involving the recent snowfall will become possible as the day warms. While small, these slides have the potential to sweep skiers and riders over cliff bands or carry them down steep, sustained couloirs. This kind of terrain should be avoided during the heat of the day. Lower down, small wet slides involving old snow might become possible in the afternoon.

A cut off low pressure system tracking east across Utah and into Colorado will bring cloud cover and possibly some light precipitation to the Southwest Trails forecast zone on Saturday. To the north, mostly clear skies are expected. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the low teens before rising to near 30 in the afternoon. Northeasterly ridgetop winds will increase to 10 to 20 miles per hour. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Low in the Tetons on Saturday. In shaded, leeward terrain near upper elevation ridgelines, skiers and riders might be able to trigger a small, isolated pocket of wind slab. As the day warms, the chance for shallow wet slides will return on sunlit aspects. While small, these slides have the potential to sweep backcountry travelers over cliff bands or carry them down very steep, sustained couloirs. Avoid this type of terrain during the heat of the day.In the Togwotee Pass and Southwest Trails forecast zones, the general avalanche hazard is expected to remain Moderate. Similar small slides to those in the Tetons could occur. While the likelihood of triggering large to very large persistent deep slab avalanches continues to fall, the consequences remain high. The most likely scenario to trigger one of these slides is for a backcountry traveler to hit a shallow, weak zone in the snowpack. A failure there can propagate into deeper snow resulting in a slide that could be up to 5 feet deep and easily cause serious injury or death.