Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

The General Avalanche Hazard is MODERATE. Deep, weak layers of faceted snow persist in steep areas with a shallow snowpack and could fail to the ground under the weight of a skier, snowmachine, or groups of skiers or snowmachines. Yesterday TWO snowmobilers highmarking at the SAME TIME in Horseshoe Bowl, north of Teton Pass released and were buried three feet by a large hard slab avalanche. Fortunately they were recovered unhurt! Monday a three foot deep hard slab avalanche 25 yards wide released behind a snowmobile traversing a northeast facing slope in the Man Bowl area of the Snake River Range. The small bowl had eight old tracks and one new track before it released. The consequences of being caught in one of these deep slides could be severe as was learned by a snowmobiler killed under similar circumstances in the Island Park area of Idaho on Monday. The Greys River/Southwest Trails area has a similar snowpack and such events could be triggered today. Always travel one at a time in suspect terrain. Carry and practice with shovels, probes and transceivers.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )A srong jet will move across the region bringing westerly ridgetop winds of 35 to 40 miles per hour with gusts to 65. Light morning snowfall will increase in the evening as a strong winter storm moves in. 9500 foot temperatures will rise into the upper twenties. The General Avalanche Hazard is expected to remain MODERATE across the region due to the unpredictable and serious hard slab avalanche potential.