On Tuesday, a snowmobiler triggering a slide on a south facing slope which failed on a faceted crust around 30 inches below the snow surface. He was buried roughly four feet deep, found with a beacon and dug up by other riders in his party. Tragically, he did not survive. Similar events could occur today in a snowpack wrought with weaknesses and poor structure. Conservative decision-making and travel practices are essential for safe travel in avalanche terrain.
Dense wind slabs, formed by westerly winds, with depths of one to three feet could be human triggered in steep, wind-loaded avalanche starting zones. These slabs could step down to deeper layers of weak faceted snow in areas with poor snowpack structure.
Buried layers of weak snow persist at all elevations. Slabs that lie upon these weak layers could be triggered by backcountry riders and skiers today. These slabs could have depths of three to seven feet.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Expect mostly cloudy skies and periods of light snowfall tonight and tomorrow. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the single digits before rising into the teens during the day. Westerly to northwesterly ridgetop winds will range from 25 to 35 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be CONSIDERABLE at the upper elevations of the Tetons, and in both the Togwotee Pass and Greys River areas. Strong winds, combined with the possibility for new snow and ample snow available for transport, will continue to build wind slabs in exposed terrain. Backcountry travelers could trigger soft slabs one to three feet deep in steep, wind-loaded avalanche terrain. These slides have the potential to step down to persistent weak layers buried deep within the snowpack.
