Avalanche forecast

Togwotee Pass

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
No rating
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Increasing wind and continued snowfall will create dangerous avalanche conditions. You are likely to trigger a slab 2-3 feet thick in steep terrain, particularly in areas affected by wind and in the southern parts of this zone where more snow has fallen. Shooting cracks or collapses signal the potential for an avalanche.  Use a conservative mindset to limit your exposure to a complex set of avalanche problems. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

     

    Togwotee has received 6 inches to over a foot of snowfall and shifting winds over the past week. New snow has formed soft slabs that may slide without a human trigger and will be easy to trigger in steep terrain, especially later today as winds increase. Cracking or collapsing in the new snow, cornices, and wind drifts all indicates the potential for an avalanche. Instabilities in the latest snowfall hold the potential to step down and trigger larger and more dangerous avalanches.  Check out this observation from yesterday for more. 

    (2/4/2024)

    Observed shooting cracks and many collapses on the way up Angle. Some more new snow in the past 48 hours and increasing wind today will make this problem worse today.

    Photo: Noah McCorkel

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    New snowfall and wind makes older deep layers in the snowpack more susceptible to natural and human triggering. While trending less likely, skiers and riders can trigger large hard slab avalanches failing on weak snow that persists in the middle of the snowpack. Snowmobilers and skiers could trigger slabs 2-3 feet deep on steep slopes today, particularly in areas seeing greater amounts of wind. Your weight may more easily impact this weak snow at mid-elevations, where the slab is thinner, or in rocky and wind-affected areas. These can be triggered by the first rider or even after many tracks are on a slope. These avalanches have the potential to propagate longer distances and include entire slopes. The best way to manage this problem is by choosing lower-angled slopes and smaller terrain features without terrain traps. 

    Double propagation!

    Photo: Noah McCorkel

Avalanche Discussion

You'll want to bring your A game today if you travel anywhere near avalanche paths or steep slopes. The thin and weak snopwack taht exists in Togwotee area doesn't take much  stress or strain to produce an avalanche. This latest round of snowfall combined with wind today is likely to provoke this unstable snowpack. Snowfall amouts are highly variable across our forecast zones but the trend has been for the Teton and Gros Ventre toi catch the most snow. Look for deeper snow and increased instability in the southern portion of the Togwotee forecast zone.

Regions covered