Avalanche conditions in the backcountry continue to be DANGEROUS. Skiers and riders venturing into avalanche terrain can cause failure of weak persistent snow layers deep in the snowpack. This problem exists on all aspects at elevations above 7500 feet and is limited to isolated areas of north facing terrain below that elevation.These slabs have become less sensitive but could still release to the weight of a single person or after a slope has been tracked, making their failure harder to predict. If triggered, long propagation and very large avalanches remain possible. New snow, mixed with rain this morning, will increase the likelihood for these dangerous slides to release. Conservative terrain selection is essential.
A single person could initiate slab failure involving weak snow and hard crusts formed in late November and early December. At higher elevations, these slabs will be hard and have depths to as much as five feet. At lower elevations, slabs will be soft or hard with depths to eighteen inches.
Snowfall intensity will decrease overnight with frontal passage, but light snow showers will linger through the day on Saturday. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the low teens before rising into the mid to upper teens in the afternoon. Westerly ridgetop winds will range from 20 to 30 miles per hour overnight before decreasing and veering to the northwest.The general avalanche hazard is expected to remain CONSIDERABLE on Saturday. Conditions will continue to be dangerous as persistent deep slab avalanches remain the primary concern. Skiers and riders could trigger these slabs to depths up to five feet on a variety of aspects. In the Teton and Southwest Trails forecast zones, backcountry travelers could also trigger newly developed pockets of shallow wind slab in steep, leeward terrain near upper elevation ridgelines. The release of one of these new wind slabs could step down and trigger a persistent deep slab below. Managing your terrain with a conservative approach will continue to be the safest way to avoid being caught in a large to very large, destructive avalanche.
