Avalanche forecast

Togwotee Pass

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Highlights

Avalanche conditions remain dangerous and difficult to predict. Cold, northerly winds today will craft slabs from recent snowfall in unpredictable locations. The larger problem lurks deeper on weak snow at the base of the snowpack, where hard slab avalanches ranging 2-4 feet deep can be triggered in steep terrain.  These slabs could be triggered on various aspects, but you'll most likely encounter this problem on north-facing terrain. Be alert to what terrain lies above and around you, move one at a time, and give runout zones a wide margin. These avalanches can be triggered remotely from above, below, or next to slopes over 30°. Rocky and wind-affected slopes should be avoided. 

One skier was killed, and another was injured in an avalanche on Jan 4th at Togwotee Pass. Details are here. 

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    The several inches of new snow delivered to Togwotee over the last three days will form shallow slabs in abnormal places. Be on the watch for drifted new snow, but the primary hazard here lurks deeper. Triggering a dangerous avalanche involving buried weak layers is likely today in steep terrain above 30°. Weak snow formed in early December is now buried ~2 feet deep in many locations and up to 4 feet deep in wind-loaded upper-elevation terrain. Avalanches involving these weak layers have been reported on most aspects at all elevations. 

    Obvious signs of instability may not be present before triggering a persistent slab avalanche. Slabs could be triggered from a distance by the first rider or even wait until the last person in your group is riding the slope to release. Steep, rocky, and unsupported terrain features are most likely to produce an avalanche. However, given the well-connected nature of the weak layer, avalanches can propagate long distances across slopes. Because of this, avoid terrain connected to avalanche paths, beware of what lies above you, and give runout zones a wide margin. Remote triggers were reported recently. For now, riding low-angle terrain less than 30° with no significant overhead hazard is the best way to avoid this problem.

     

    (1/5/2025)

    Looking up from the burial site at the remotely-triggered large avalanche off the west shoulder of Brooks Lake Mountain near Breccia. 

    Photo: Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

Evaluate your travel plan carefully today. Give tight gullies, creek drainages, tightly treed chutes, and other terrain traps a wide margin. You may experience cracking of recent snowfall today; however, obvious signs of instabilities of what lurks deeper in the snowpack will be lacking. The snowpack around Togwotee Pass remains weak and unstable. A hard slab now sits on top of weak snow at the base of the snowpack. This is a perfect recipe for human-triggered avalanches. Digging down to the weak layer can provide useful information about the snowpack in the terrain you wish to ride. However, it is safe to assume that poor snowpack structure exists across the zone, and knowing exactly where a trigger point exists is very difficult. Conservative decision-making remains essential given the remote-propagation nature of the recently observed and triggered avalanches. Give yourself a wide margin today to allow for surprises.

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