Avalanche forecast

Togwotee Pass

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
No rating
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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Yesterday, a snowmobiler remotely triggered a 24-inch-deep persistent slab avalanche on a southeast facing aspect of Mt. Leidy around an elevation of 9,500 feet. Similar large to very large avalanches could be triggered by skiers and riders on a variety of aspects above 7,500 feet. Backcountry travelers could also trigger small loose snow sluffs and pockets of soft surface slab in steep avalanche terrain. Below 7,500 feet, the snowpack is mostly stable and avalanches are unlikely. A careful evaluation of the snowpack and terrain is warranted.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3

    Poor snowpack structure is widespread on Togwotee Pass. On a variety of aspects above 7,500 feet, skiers and riders continue to have the potential of triggering persistent slab avalanches with depths ranging from two to four feet. These slabs could also step down from the release of a wind slab or sizable loose snow sluff. Large triggers, such as snowmobiles, are more likely to initiate one of these slabs.

Avalanche Discussion

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Dry conditions and partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies are in store for Western Wyoming on Sunday. Overnight lows in the mountains will drop into the single digits before rising into the mid-teens during the day. Ridgetop winds will be light and variable.The general avalanche hazard is expected to remain Moderate in the Teton and Togwotee Pass forecast zones. In steep avalanche terrain, skiers and riders could trigger loose snow sluffs and small to large, soft surface slabs. Triggering large to very large persistent slab avalanches is becoming unlikely. In the higher elevations of the Tetons, these low probability/high consequence events are likely restricted to failures occurring in faceted layers that formed on the surface of the snowpack or faceted snow surrounding crusts. To the northeast on Togwotee Pass, basal weak layers that formed early in the season are the most concerning.Similar soft surface slabs and loose snow sluffs involving the recent snowfall could be human triggered in the Southwest Trails forecast zone. The likelihood for backcountry travelers to trigger large to very large persistent slab avalanches is greater than the other two areas, and the general avalanche hazard will stay at Considerable on Sunday.

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