Avalanche forecast

Togwotee Pass

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
No rating
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Wind and new snow falling overnight and this morning will make it easy to trigger an avalanche today.  Avalanches could be large enough to bury a person and a snowmachine. Safer riding conditions can be found on wind-sheltered, lower angled slopes.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Yesterday's light density snow was easy to move by the recorded wind speeds in the past 36 hours.  Wind exposed areas with signs of drifting are the most likely to be triggered. Wind slabs may crack a long distance given the weak layer of snow beneath the surface almost everywhere in this zone. Wind-affected areas can be identified by pillowed drifts, cornices along ridge crests, running down sub-ridges, and/or stiffened snow surfaces. 

    (2/13/2024)

    Togwotee Pass, northwest shoulder Radio Tower, 10,400', northwest aspect. Natural D2 in wind affected terrain, down to December weak snow.

    Photo: Travis Baldwin

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    A new round of weak snow was buried on February 2nd. These weak layers are most consistent on the east, north, and west-facing slopes and have slightly less potential on southerly aspects. This interface is now buried 1-3 feet on average. In the last week, human-triggered avalanches have been reported on this layer. This avalanche problem can be remotely triggered from flat terrain or propagate widely across terrain features.  Shooting cracks or collapses are a clear sign of danger, but these obvious signs of instability will not always show themselves before an avalanche releases.

    (2/11/2024)

    Large recent natural avalanche on Togwotee Pass.

Avalanche Discussion

The story of the snowmobiler buried and killed in the Sierra Madre Range last Friday is important so I'll repeat it today. This rider lost his life not in, but below avalanche terrain when is party triggered an avalanche while they rode carefully around rocks on relatively flat slope. While the avalanche only slid 300-400 feet vertically, it propagated almost 2100' across the slope. The set-up for this avalanche was not that different from the situation you could find in Togwotee, especially tomorrow. A slab of new snow sitting on a very weak layer, made worse by wind loading high on a ridgeline. There are many take-aways from the accident that will be available in a forth-coming report but several jump to mind.   

  • Route finding matters alot. When remote triggering is possible, which is the case whenever you have a deep and sensitive weak layer, give slopes a wide berth.
  • Rescue skills matter. Shovel and probe belong on your back, not your sled. This may not have changed the outcome in this incident, but seconds count. The victim, whose hand and feet were out of the snow, asphyxiated in 4-5 minutes.

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