Avalanche forecast

Togwotee Pass

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
No rating
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Highlights

High pressure with cold arctic air will dominate the area through Saturday morning. Above 9000 feet, backcountry riders or skiers could trigger wind slabs on a variety of aspects and also have the potential to trigger deep persistent slabs on certain aspects. Yesterday a snowmobile triggered a hard wind slab with a one foot crown on a southwest facing slope at and elevation of 9800 feet. Below 9000 feet, avalanches are unlikely except for in small, isolated pockets in very steep terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3

    Deep slabs remain a real concern in avalanche prone terrain above an elevation of 9,000 feet on northerly aspects. The release of one of these large destructive avalanches, that could have crowns to five feet, is more likely with a large trigger, such as a snowmobile, but could still be triggered by a single skier or boarder. Avoid steep avalanche prone slopes with these characteristics as previous tracks are not an indication of stability. Snowpack evaluation is essential to properly manage this concern.

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    Soft to hard slabs could be triggered with depths to one foot in steep wind loaded terrain. Winds have varied from the southwest during recent snowfall to the northeast and are expected to back to the west today, therefore loading on any aspect is possible. Evaluate specific terrain features.

Avalanche Discussion

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )The arctic air dominating the area will cause very cold conditions on Friday, particularly in the morning when temperatures are to be near thirty below at the low elevations. Lows at higher elevations near fifteen below are expected. Northwest to west winds with fifteen to twenty mile per hour averages will cause wind chill values to drop to levels that warrant consideration before travelling in the backcountry. The avalanche hazard above 9000 feet will be rated as Moderate in the Teton and Togwotee pass areas and Considerable in the Southwest Trails/Greys River area. Recently formed slabs could be human triggered in steep wind loaded areas. These slabs will be more prevalent, more sensitive and have greater depths in the Southwest Trails area due to the nearly two feet of snow that was received there. There, slab depths could reach three feet while slabs in the other areas are expected to be a foot or less. The possibility of triggering very large avalanches involving the deep weak persistent layer also continues.

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