Avalanche forecast

Togwotee Pass

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
No rating
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Highlights

Triggering a large avalanche that fails on weak layers buried 2-3 feet deep is possible in very steep terrain in the upper elevations. Sunny and warm conditions will destabilize the snow surface and make loose snow avalanches possible later in the day. Carefully monitor the warming conditions and give very steep slopes a wide margin to avoid being involved in a dangerous avalanche today.

Avalanche problems

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3

    Triggering an avalanche that fails on buried weak layers where the overlying slab is 2-3 feet deep is possible on very steep slopes over 35 degrees in the upper elevations. Sunny and warm conditions could increase the potential of triggering a large avalanche today. Signs of instability such as cracking, collapsing, or recent avalanches may not be present before triggering a dangerous avalanche. Multiple tracks on a slope do not indicate stability with this problem type. Suspect terrain includes very steep, rocky, and/or wind affected slopes where thin spots exist making it possible for humans to impact buried weak layers.

    Persistent slab avalanches are capable of propagating widely across or up a slope. For this reason, it is not out of the question to trigger a larger hard slab avalanche with depths over 5 feet as a result of hitting a thin, shallow portion of the slope. Heavily wind affected slopes are where these avalanches could break deeper, such as this very large persistent slab on Lava Mountain that occurred on February 10th.

    The last human triggered persistent slab avalanche occurred on March 2nd in terrain similar to this.

    Photo: Dakota Richardson

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Sunny conditions and mild temperatures will destabilize the snow surface as the day warms making loose snow avalanches possible on very steep south facing slopes. These avalanches could be triggered by humans or release naturally near exposed rocks/cliff bands. The likelihood of these slides is decreasing overtime with each warm day and cold night, yet still remains possible this afternoon during the heat of the day. While the majority of loose snow avalanches will be small today, these slides have the potential to entrain a significant amount of snow and could knock you off your feet in consequential terrain. Monitor the snow surface conditions for wet snow as you travel today. Sinking into wet snow or observing natural loose snow avalanches are signs that the snowpack is becoming unstable and it is time to move away from sunny slopes.

Avalanche Discussion

If you see avalanche activity today, please consider submitting an observation HERE. Observations allow everyone to gain a better and more complete understanding of conditions. Thanks!

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