Human triggered avalanches continue to be a hazard in steep terrain. This hazard is greater at the upper elevations (above an elevation of 9,000 feet). Snowmobilers or skiers who venture into steep wind loaded avalanche starting zones, large bowls, chutes and steep avalanche prone terrain features could trigger slab avalanches. Deep, large slab avalanches continue to be a hazard in steep north facing terrain at the upper elevations. Conservative terrain choices are warranted.
Surface slabs formed by southwest to west winds during the most recent storm cycle could be human triggered on a variety of aspects. These slabs could be up to three feet deep at the higher elevations and up to two feet deep at the lower elevations. These slabs may be more sensitive to human triggers during the warmer portion of the day.
The chance continues for backcountry travelers to large, destructive deep slab avalanches that could involve the full depth of the snowpack. The weak snow associated with this problem is deeply buried near the base of the snowpack on northwest through northeast aspects above 9000 feet. These deep slab avalanches are likely to be unsurvivable.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Dry conditions with a strong temperature inversion will continue. Skies will be mostly clear overhead. Fog will develop in the valleys early in the morning and slowly dissipate during the later morning hours. Temperatures at dawn are expected to be near zero at the higher elevations and near 20 below zero in the valleys. Daytime highs should rise to around 20 degrees at all elevations. Winds are forecast to be northerly ay 5 to 10 miles per hour.Surface slabs formed by strong west to southwest winds are becoming less sensitive to human triggered and less widespread in extent. However areas of wind slab one to three feet in depth could still be triggered by humans in steep wind loaded avalanche starting zones, cliff areas and steep couloirs. Large deep slab avalanches continue to be a hazard in steep north facing terrain above an elevation of 9,000 feet. The likelihood of triggering one of these dangerous slabs is greater in the Togwotee Pass and Greys River areas, especially for larger triggers like snowmachines. Conservative terrain choices are warranted. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE in the Teton and Togwotee Pass areas and CONSIDERABLE in the Greys River area.
