Togwotee Pass

The general avalanche hazard is CONSIDERABLE. Deep, hard slabs (three to six foot crowns)continue to be triggered on a variety of aspects on Angle Mountain. These dangerous slab avalanches are failing on a layer of weak faceted snow and a November rain crust. Similar events could be triggered today by riders or skiers on similar steep, avalanche prone slopes. The underlying weaknesses are not improving over time. Conservative decisions and excellent terrain evaluation skills are essential for safe travel in avalanche terrain.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )The mostly dry northwest flow may bring some isolated snow showers Monday evening but dry conditions will prevail after midnight and into Tuesday. Mountain temperatures will fall into the low teens overnight then rise into the low twenties during the day. Winds over the peaks will back to westerly at speeds of 20 miles per hour.The General Avalanche Hazard will be CONSIDERABLE Tuesday. Soft slabs to two feet in depth could be human triggered on avalanche prone lee slopes. Deep slab instabilities lurk in the depths of the snowpack but are likely to require larger triggers like multiple riders on a slope. In the Continental Divide/Togwotee Pass area weak faceted snow at the base of the snowpack has been the cause of several dangerous hard slab avalanches in the Angle Mountain area that have been triggered remotely by skiers and snowboarders. Other steep areas in that region have similar conditions and the new snow will make triggering deep slides by riders likely.