Unstable areas continue to pose a threat to backcountry travelers in avalanche terrain where persistent slabs could be triggered with depths to three feet. Isolated pockets of shallow wind slabs developed during yesterday's rapid morning snowfall and strong winds. Evaluate snow and avalanche terrain carefully and continue to be very cautious of high consequence terrain.
Persistent slabs to three feet in depth rest upon weak, faceted snow and hard snow surfaces at the mid and upper elevations and around a foot deep at the lower elevations. These dangerous slabs could be triggered by skiers and riders in steep, avalanche terrain. Some steep slopes may be crossed multiple times before a weak spot is encountered causing failure of the slope.
At mid and upper elevations, isolated pockets of wind slab with depths of six to twelve inches formed during yesterday morning's rapid snowfall on the east slope of the Tetons. On the west slopes the the snow was more steady through the day. The snowfall came with strong westerly to northwesterly winds that continued into the evening. Today these slabs could be easily triggered in steep, wind loaded terrain.
