Avalanche forecast

Tetons

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

It is possible to trigger a slab avalanche 1-2 feet deep in steep terrain at the middle and upper elevations. Protected areas around and below treeline are most suspect. Signs of instability may not be present. If you experience collapsing or shooting cracks, these are clear signs of instability and nearby steep slopes should be avoided. 

Watch for unstable snow at upper elevations where southwest winds will form fresh slabs today. Also pay attention to very steep sunny slopes where warm temperatures could lead to shallow loose snow avalanches.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    It remains possible to trigger a soft slab avalanche failing 1-2 feet deep on weak snow that formed in January. Reports continue to come in of human triggered slides breaking on facets in sheltered terrain. Signs that slopes are unstable may not be present due to the spotty distribution of the weak layer. Today you will likely need a very steep slope to trigger a slide as the snowpack has started to adjust. Persistent slabs can be unpredictable and break in unusual ways. If you do experience cracking or collapsing this is a sign that a slope is unstable.

    If southwest winds ramp up later in the day, watch for pockets of unstable snow on leeward slopes at upper elevations. Slabs forming from wind blown snow could aggravate buried weak layers and break wider than expected. Consistent blowing snow is a sign fresh slabs may be forming.

    (2/14/2026)

    Persistent slab avalanche that occured yesterday on Treasure Mountain on the West Side of the Tetons. 

    Note how wide it propagated.

Avalanche Discussion

Our January Drought persisted from Jan 10th to early February causing the snow surface to weaken. New snow fell, and preserved this weak faceted snow in some areas. Terrain that is more exposed to natural forces such as southerly aspects and wind exposed zones did not form or preserve as much weak snow. This is a little bit different than the norm, as we usually see more avalanches in wind affected areas since that is where the most dramatic change is happening. Currently, our most concerning area is around and below treeline (8,000-9,500 feet), on shaded slopes that are out of the wind. Here, avalanches have been failing on facets and buried surface hoar.

What is tricky is people have been riding steep slopes in areas like this and not triggering avalanches, and some slides have been quite small. This is because of the spatial variability that existed in where and how developed the weak January snow was. While uncertainty lies in which specific slopes are suspect, less uncertainty lies in the general terrain characteristics, as described in the first paragraph. If you are choosing to engage in this sort of terrain, carefully assess the consequences of an avalanche failing 1-2 feet deep. To avoid this problem, stick to lower angle slopes while we wait for the snowpack to adjust.

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