Avalanche forecast

Togwotee Pass

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
No rating
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Highlights

Heightened avalanche conditions exist on steep, wind-loaded slopes where recent snowfall and strong wind has made triggering an avalanche around a foot deep possible. There is still some potential to trigger a larger avalanche involving buried weak layers on very steep, north facing slopes around 9,000’. Carefully evaluate the snowpack and build in some margin of safety around this terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    The Togwotee area received around 6 inches of snow in the past 24 hours. This snow was accompanied by strong to extremely strong winds. Wind direction veered from the southwest to the northwest towards the end of the storm. As a result, newly formed wind slabs around a foot deep exist on many aspects above 9,000’. These slabs are most likely dense and stubborn to initiate given the high wind speeds yesterday, but may still be reactive to the weight of a rider in very steep, wind-loaded terrain. Look for slab development further down and across slopes than usual and steer clear of steep, wind-loaded features.

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    Weak layers of snow including surface hoar and facets are buried 2-3 feet below a hard slab on shaded slopes. While the likelihood of triggering has decreased due to the strength of the overlying slab, riders may still be able to trigger a large avalanche in very steep terrain over 35 degrees. Northerly aspects above 8,500’ are where this layer is weakest and where the majority of recent persistent slab activity has been observed. Signs of instability will not be present before triggering. Giving very steep, north facing slopes a wide margin is the best way to manage hazard right now due to the difficult to predict nature of this problem, and the high consequence of triggering an avalanche of this size.

    (2/27/2026)

    A snowmobile triggered avalanche near Leidy. Slides like this are getting harder to trigger, but still possible in very steep north facing terrain.

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterday’s strom ended up being a bit more of a dud than we would like. Weather station instruments struggle to measure snow when it is extremely windy, but it seems as though most locations picked up at least a few inches of snow. On the bright side, the wind has finally calmed down. Some sunshine and cold temperatures today will make for a nice day in the mountains, though it remains a good call to evaluate the new snow stability before committing to steeper terrain. New snow depths will vary significantly across terrain features. Some places are likely stripped down to crusts and deeper drifts will exist on other slopes. Keep in mind that wind-loading can occur on a variety of aspects when the direction switches from SW to NW. Warming shouldn’t be too much of a concern today given the cold temperatures and wind blown snow on the surface.

Regions covered