Avalanche forecast

Togwotee Pass

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
No rating
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Highlights

Snowfall, wind, and warm temperatures today are creating dangerous avalanche conditions on multiple weak layers in the snowpack. Some slopes will fail naturally, and it remains easy to trigger an avalanche of new snow. There is potential for larger avalanches to break on older weak layers several feet thick, but these avalanches will be less obvious and less common. The safest riding is on slope angles less than 30 degrees. Cracking, collapsing, and recent avalanche activity are signs to back off steep terrain.  

Avalanche problems

  • Storm 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 fail naturally or be easily triggered on some steep terrain features.  Fresh slabs will be most sensitive on wind-loaded slopes at middle and higher elevations, but some avalanches may also fail in protected areas.  Carefully evaluate slab size, which will vary greatly between this zone's east and west sides, and terrain consequences of any steep slope. Cracking or collapsing in the new snow indicates unstable snow. Instabilities in the latest snowfall hold the potential to step down and trigger larger and more dangerous avalanches where these problems overlap.  The best way to manage both problems listed here is by choosing lower-angled slopes and smaller terrain features without terrain traps. 

    (2/4/2024)

    Observed shooting cracks and many collapses on the way up Angle.

    Photo: Noah McCorkel

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    New snowfall 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

Each new storm buries a new interface to think about. Depending on the older snow, the bond at this interface can vary significantly in strength. As the complexity of the snowpack increases, particularly during storms, it becomes more and more challenging to assess the stability of a given slope confidently. Obvious signs of instability may be hit-or-miss, depending on which portion of this zone you are in today. Be aware that new snow may exhibit persistent slab-like behavior and be triggered remotely or break onto less steep slopes. With increasing winds and crusts beneath many steeper slopes in the alpine,  lower-angled sheltered slopes may also offer the best riding conditions today. We are in an active weather pattern, and current change is happening at all elevations. Familiarize yourself with the snowpack in areas you frequent, keep your head on a swivel with incoming weather, know the people you like to get out with and how well you communicate—and choose terrain that fits all of the above. Conservative decision-making and careful snowpack evaluation are essential today.   

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