Togwotee Pass

The general avalanche hazard is MODERATE. Hard and soft slabs with depths of one to three feet lie on weak, faceted snow on a variety of aspects. Backcountry travelers could trigger these slides in steep, avalanche prone terrain that has not seen recent activity. Previous traffic is not a good indicator of stability, and these slabs may release after others have risked exposure. Yesterday morning, or the night before, the east face of Lava Mountain released naturally. Initial reports suggest this slide failed near the ground on early season faceted snow. In the same area, just west of Brooks Lake, a skier triggered a three foot soft slab on a northwest facing slope at an elevation of 9,960 feet. Continued caution is advised as these slides illustrate the weak nature of the snowpack.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Cloud cover will increase overnight ahead a Pacific weather system that will bring four to eight inches of new snow during the day on Monday and into the evening. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the upper teens before rising into the low 20s in the afternoon. Westerly ridgetop winds will increase to 25 to 35 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be CONSIDERABLE on Monday. As new snow accumulates, fresh soft slabs will build. New snow will also add weight to persistent deep slab instabilities, and dangerous avalanche conditions will continue. Backcountry travelers venturing into avalanche terrain could trigger hard slabs up to six feet deep in areas that have not seen recent activity. Given the depth of these slabs, a slope could be crossed numerous times before a skier or rider finds an avenue to impact one of the weak layers of concern. Do not let previous skier or rider traffic lure you into compromising terrain; if initiated, these slides are likely to carry dire consequences.