Avalanche forecast

Tetons

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Moderate danger exists this morning on steep, northerly aspects above 8,000' where triggering the persistent weak layer 1-3’ down remains possible. Temperatures will rise significantly today, wetting and weakening the remaining dry snow. The risk of triggering avalanches will rise accordingly. Exposure to the sun and rising air temperatures will drive the probability of triggering avalanches upwards. Bring your snow savvy today and you’ll find safer riding in dry soft snow on shaded, lower angled slopes and corn skiing on sunnier aspects that froze overnight. Leave your snow savvy at home and you may run into slow, but powerful wet loose avalanches or wet, wind slabs sitting on a slick melt freeze crust on lee ridgetops. Mind your aspects and avoid boot top wet snow, slopes generating large rollerballs and slopes beneath hanging cornices. The avalanche danger will rise to Considerable as temperatures warm with various types of human triggered avalanches becoming likely and natural avalanches possible.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    Weak layers formed throughout the forecast area during the dry months of January and February. In March, a series of storms built up slabs that in some cases have been large enough to activate those weak layers, making them easier to trigger. These weak layers are between 1-3 feet deep. While there has not been widespread activity on these layers in the Tetons, there have been several avalanches reported in the last week that were large, one of which resulted in a fatality. This avalanche problem is more likely to be encountered in steep mid and upper elevation terrain on the northern half of the compass and in terrain that avalanched in early January. Uncertainty exists around triggering this avalanche type which has not been widespread in the Tetons. Warming may make this avalanche type more easily triggered.

Avalanche Discussion

Expect partly cloudy skies during the day. In the mountains, overnight lows will barely dip below freezing. Temperatures will rise quickly tomorrow with highs into the mid-forties at 9,000ft. Ridge top winds will be out of the west at 15-20mph.Snow conditions will change quickly tomorrow. The short freeze overnight will lock up the wet snow from the day before, but with warmer ambient air temperatures and only intermittent clouds to block the sun, the warmup will happen fast. As free water seeps into the snowpack stability will decrease. Persistent slabs one to three feet thick are possible on the northerly half of terrain above 8,000ft in the Tetons/Grey’s River areas and above 9,000ft in the Togwotee area. These slides may be easier to trigger in the afternoon. Digging down below the March snow to the weak drought layer is key in assessing the stability. Triggering a loose wet avalanche will also be possible on the southerly half of the compass at all elevations and all aspects below 9,000ft. Roller balls and boot cuff deep wet snow are signs that the snowpack is losing cohesion. The avalanche danger tomorrow will start out as Moderate and increase to Considerable as warming occurs.

Regions covered