Avalanche forecast

Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Recent snow and wind have created dangerous avalanche conditions at the upper elevations. Soft slabs 1-2' deep will be most sensitive to wind-affected upper-elevation terrain. It also remains possible for riders to trigger deeper avalanches that fail on weak snow near the base of the snowpack, even after multiple tracks have been put on a slope. Watch out for areas where the new snow is deepest and carefully evaluate deeper layers in the snowpack if venturing into steep terrain.

 

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2.5

    Hard slabs 2-4 feet thick continue to pose a significant threat to riders and skiers. These slabs have the potential to release and produce large avalanches today. Similar events have occurred over the last week, including incidents involving avalanche burials. Avalanches like these are becoming more difficult to trigger with time, but the consequences are increasing. Obvious warning signs, such as shooting cracks, large collapses or "whumpfs", and natural avalanche activity are becoming less common. Despite these facts, it remains necessary to be suspicious of steep terrain on many aspects at middle and upper elevations. Those facing north-northeast should be particularly suspect. Give yourself and your group a wide margin and avoid exposing more than one person at a time if traveling on or below avalanche terrain. Tracks on a slope do not indicate stability with this problem.

    Travel one at a time, stop safely out of runout zones,  and avoid steep gullies or cliffs to increase your safety buffer zones. Riding terrain under 30° with no significant overhead hazard remains the best way to avoid this problem.

     

     

    (1/5/2025)

    Looking up from the burial site at the remotely-triggered large avalanche off the west shoulder of Brooks Lake Mountain near Breccia. 

    Photo: Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Up to 15 inches of snow has fallen over the past 48 hours, favoring the western portions of the Salt and Wyoming. Light to moderate winds out of the west/northwest have redistributed this snow and formed soft slabs around 1-2 feet deep in exposed terrain at the upper elevations that may be sensitive to the weight of a rider. Look for signs of wind loading, including blowing snow and drifts. Cracking indicates unstable snow. Move to sheltered, low-angle terrain if these conditions are observed.

    Wind slabs will be less likely in areas that received little snow yesterday, such as portions of the Wyoming Range.

    (1/3/2025)

    Cloud cover over the Wyoming Range. Signs of wind transport such as pillows can be seen along ridgelines. 

    Photo: Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

The two avalanche problems that you may encounter today have very different characteristics. Soft slabs formed from the recent snow and wind will be easier to identify in steep, winded alpine terrain. The likelihood of triggering one of these slabs is likely where they exist. However, they exhibit more obvious signs of instability, like cracking, collapsing, and natural avalanche activity. At the moment, this type of avalanche problem is most likely to release under your skis or sled when you impact the slope. 

The persistent slab problem is a different story. The chances of triggering one of these avalanches have decreased over time, yet they are still possible and will present little warning before release. This makes them much more difficult to predict and potentially more dangerous, given the size of the avalanche due to weak snow buried deeper within the snowpack and beneath a harder slab. Regardless of the type, getting caught in any avalanche can have severe consequences. Because of this, it is essential to practice safe travel habits and carefully evaluate conditions in windy, high-elevation terrain today, while being aware of the weak structure deeper in the snowpack.

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