Avalanche forecast

Togwotee Pass

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
No rating
Below
No rating
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Out of date — this forecast expired 7 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Above 9000 feet, recent snowfall and strong winds have formed slabs that could be triggered by backcountry riders. These slabs will be most sensitive in steep terrain where they have formed on the old snowpack, as the older snow is comprised mainly of hard crusts and facets. These old layers can be found on a variety of aspects but will deeper and more faceted in high, shaded terrain. Below 9000 feet less snow has fallen and the old weak snowpack is less prevalent. As elevation lowers, new snow lies directly on the ground and it quickly becomes too shallow for avalanches. Early season conditions exist and caution is advised in both avoidance of this slab hazard as well as in negotiating safe routes in a shallow snowpack.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    Winds that blew from the north earlier in the week, have been strong from the southeast and south over the last three days. Soft wind slabs to eighteen inch depths could be triggered in steep terrain above 9000 feet on a variety of aspects today, particularly on northwest, north, and northeast facing slopes. This is the same terrain where well developed facets dominate the older snow. The hazard will increase today as slabs are further loaded by new snow and wind.

Avalanche Discussion

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Another round of snow is expected between midnight and 8 am, followed by periods of light snow through Thanksgiving Day. Temperatures are to be warmer, with upper elevations reaching into the twenties, while valleys reach just into the thirties. Summit winds are again to be from the southeast to south with ten to twenty mile per hour averages. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Moderate throughout western Wyoming above 9000 feet where wind formed soft slabs will be sensitive to human triggers in steep terrain that is underlain by old snow. These slabs will be most likely to be found on northeast, north, and northwest slopes. Below 9000 feet, the hazard will be Low, as less recent snow has fallen and the old faceted snowpack is much less prevalent. At even lower elevations, very little snow lies on bare ground.

Regions covered