Tetons

At the mid and upper elevations new snow and strong west-northwest winds have increased the load on unstable slabs and created dangerous conditions. Dense surface slabs two to four feet in depth lie upon lighter density snow. These slabs are likely to be easily triggered by the weight of a single person and could release naturally and run long distances. Some potential exists for them to step down several feet to layers of buried crust in some areas. Conservative decision making and excellent snow stability evaluation skills are essential for safe travel in avalanche terrain. At the lower elevations the runout zones of large avalanche paths should be avoided. In addition isolated pockets of new soft slab up to ten inches deep could be human triggered on very steep wind loaded slopes.

Skies will be mostly clear overnight and into Sunday morning. Moisture is expected to move back into the area Sunday with light snow developing over the higher peaks in the afternoon. Temperatures will drop into the single digits overnight and rise into the 20s during the day. Winds will be west at 25 miles per hour at the summit level. Dangerous areas of unstable snow exist. Over the past ten days up to four feet of new snow with nearly six inches of moisture has accumulated in the mountains. This snowfall has been accompanied by strong west to northwest winds. The general avalanche hazard remains CONSIDERABLE. Dense wind slabs one to three feet in depth exist and could be triggered by the weight of a single person. Deep hard slabs up to six feet in depth also exist and could be human triggered, especially by people on snowmachines. A conservative approach to avalanche terrain is warranted. The consequences of triggering a large slab avalanche are likely to be fatal.