Persistent weak, faceted snow making up the lower snowpack continues to be a concern on steep slopes. It remains possible for skiers or riders to trigger slab avalanches up to three feet deep on steep slopes. Below 7,500 feet the snowpack is mostly stable and avalanches are unlikely.
Recent new snow and winds have created soft slabs to 10 inches deep on steep lee slopes at upper elevations. With rapidly warming temperatures slabs and loose wet slides will become less stable and more easily triggered.
In some areas persistent slabs up to three feet deep lie upon weak depth hoar and could be triggered by the weight of a single rider or skier. Conservative terrain choices are warranted.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )High pressure building into the area will keep skies mostly clear through Tuesday. Mountain temperatures will reach lows in the single digits by morning then warm to the low 30s during the day. Winds will be southwesterly at 15 miles per hour on the ridge crests.The General Avalanche Hazard is expected to be MODERATE. Sunshine will bring rapidly warming temperatures Tuesday that will make slides more sensitive to triggers. Soft slabs to 20 inches in depth will be possible on steep slopes in the Tetons with slides to 10 inches in the Greys River and Togwotee Pass areas. Wet-loose sloughs will become a hazard by afternoon as the sun heats up the unconsolidated new snow. In the Southwest Trails and Togwotee Pass areas the possibility for people to trigger persistent slabs to three feet in depth on steep slopes continues.
