Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

New snow and west to northwest winds have created easily triggered soft slabs to 12 inches in depth on avalanche-prone terrain. The general avalanche hazard is MODERATE. The long, dry, cold period created excellent sliding surfaces of wind pack, sun crusts and faceted snow which rest just below the new storm snow. The potential remains for riders or skiers to trigger isolated pockets of deeper hard slab in very steep, rocky terrain. Two separate avalanche fatalities occurred Sunday. A backcountry skier who accessed the Clause Peak area by skis and snowmobile from the Cliff Creek Trailhead in Hoback Canyon is believed to have triggered an eight inch deep soft slab on a steep slope at an elevation of about 9,200 feet and was carried into a tree and did not survive. The second fatality was a skier on Survey Peak in Grand Teton National Park who also was carried into a tree. Our sincere condolences go out to those involved and their friends and families.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Snowfall rates will increase in intensity as clouds lower Monday evening. Through noon Tuesday six to 12 inches of accumulation are expected with three to six inches in the valleys. Temperatures will be in the single digits Tuesday morning then rise to the low teens. Snowfall is forecasted to continue into Tuesday evening. Ridge top winds will be westerly at 25 miles per hour through the period with stronger gusts. The new snowfall will continue to load weak sliding surfaces from the extended dry, cold period. The first snowfall cycles on such surfaces usually result in poorly bonded, easily moved slabs and sloughs that often surprise backcountry travelers that are not wary of the predictable instabilities. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Moderate in the Southwest Trails/Greys River area and the Continental Divide/Togwotee Pass area. In the Tetons, the hazard is expected to be Considerable. The west side of the range has not seen a break in snowfall with over 20 inches of accumulation and the east side has over 12 inches with several more inches expected. Significantly the winds will increase and build the easily drifted, light snow into dangerous, very sensitive soft slabs to three feet in depth.