Avalanche forecast

Togwotee Pass

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
No rating
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Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Triggering an avalanche is possible on slopes where the wind has built slabs on top of weak layers in the snowpack. Look for and avoid slopes with signs of wind loaded snow like drifts or cornices. Slab avalanche could also fail on weak layers in wind-sheltered terrain. This scenario is less likely but can't be ruled out entirely. Evaluate the snow and terrain you intend to ride to identify any slab over weak layers before you commit to a steep slope.

 

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    Weak layers of snow formed in November and December are buried 2+ feet deep. This weak snow is widespread across most aspects and elevations with increased sensitivity in areas with firm cohesive slabs in the snowpack such as upper elevations and/or wind-loaded terrain. Depth hoar continues to develop at the base of the snowpack in specific areas. In addition, surface hoar layers in the upper portion of the snowpack have been identified on West and North aspects up to 10,000’. 

    Trigger points are an important consideration with these avalanches. You can reduce your chances of triggering an avalanche by avoiding slopes with shallow, more southerly areas where you can more easily impact the weak layer. Trigger points are most common in alpine (or alpine-like) terrain:  very steep (over about 35 degrees), rocky, and wind-affected. Pay attention to what's below you—look for trees, rocks, gullies, and other terrain traps that could turn a small avalanche deadly.

    (1/7/2023)

    Persistent slab avalanche at Togwotee. 

Avalanche Discussion

Great riding exists in the Togwotee area without tangling with the terrain most likely to produce an avalanche. Signs of instability are not so obvious at the moment though if you pay close attention, probe for snow depths, dig on the aspect you want to ride and generally avoid the problem areas listed below, you can still have a safe day. 

Be wary of entering avalanche terrain that has most or all of the following characteristics:

  • Wind-affected alpine or near-treeline terrain above about 9000' in elevation. This does not exclude typically windward slopes. These areas have seen recent consistent snowfall and differing wind patterns that have created a complex pattern of scoured and loaded slopes, likely resting on a far thinner snowpack relative to other slopes in the area. 
  • Slopes with rocks poking through the snow and variable snow depths due to uneven terrain
  • 35-45 degrees in steepness
  • On the southern half of the compass (east-south-west)

 

Regions covered