Avalanche forecast

Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago.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

Highlights

The consequences of triggering a large avalanche on weak layers buried near the base of the snowpack should warrant conservative terrain choice by avoiding steep, complex slopes. These weak layers are still reactive in areas with a deeper snowpack in middle elevations and across most upper elevation terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    2-3 foot hard slabs sit above weak, sugary snow near the ground where you could trigger a large avalanche with serious consequences. These avalanches will be possible in the middle elevations and most likely in the upper elevations on shaded slopes where buried layers have stayed colder and weaker (NW-N-E). Due to the variability of the low, early season snowpack and unpredictable nature of these types of avalanches, we recommend keeping a conservative approach to your backcountry travel plans by avoiding steep, complex terrain. All it takes is hitting that one sensitive spot to trigger the entire slope where avalanches will break deep and wide. Previous tracks are not a good indication of stability with this problem. Either stick with a conservative approach, or dig down frequently to look for those buried weak layers and assess the stability vs consequence yourself. 

    (12/14/2023)

    This photo identifies the November drought layer. These weak layers can often be visible as a darker color and distinguishable as softer and less cohesive than the snow above.

    Photo: Alex Drinkard

Avalanche Discussion

Areas where you’ll find the highest likelihood of encountering a persistent slab avalanche are those zones which received the earliest snowfall that stayed preserved through November and were buried in December. How do you know where these locations exist? Dig down and look for those weak sugary facets near the ground that indicate old, unstable snow in the areas you ride. If you find the old now, you find the avalanche problem. Trenching your snowmobile or probing with a pole to feel for hardness changes (hard snow over soft snow) are easy ways to identify this layer. Don’t want to constantly dig, then be conservative and stick to simple lower angle terrain until the confidence of a stable snowpack increases. In general, elevations above 8500’ in the Upper Hoback, Salt, and Snake River Ranges are where this old weak snow exists. Check out the observations from Gabrielle and I that highlight the large difference in the snowpack down south comparing the Hoback and Mid Piney to Commissary Ridge (no surprises based on common weather patterns). In addition, the higher you travel in elevation, the higher the avalanche danger will be as you encounter more weak snow across the whole forecast zone. Over the last week these layers are slowly trending more stubborn, but due to the stark spatial difference of snowpack across the whole zone and high consequence of triggering a large avalanche we have been maintaining a heightened danger rating.

Regions covered