Bulletin d’avalanche

Togwotee Pass

Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
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Danger d’avalanche

Fri
Alpin
1 · Faible
Limite forestière
1 · Faible
Sous la limite
Sans niveau
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Périmé — ce bulletin a expiré 2 years ago. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

Generally safe avalanche conditions exist. However, low danger does not mean no danger. Weak snow lingers at the base of the snowpack and avalanches involving those weak layers cannot be completely ruled out despite being very unlikely. Togwotee Pass received several inches of snow in the past 24hrs. Watch for isolated pockets of wind drifted snow at the highest elevations and very small wet loose sluffs later in the day as the sun warms the snow surface.

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Unlikely
    Taille
    1.5–2.5

    Triggering a persistent slab avalanche on weak snow buried 2-4 feet deep is very unlikely but not impossible. Suspect terrain includessteep, rocky, and wind-affected slopes on the north half of the compass. These areas contain thin, shallow spots where riders can impact weak layers. Use caution in steep terrain and give yourself a wide margin of error on slopes with high consequences or near terrain traps. The last known persistent slab avalanche occurred on 3/16 in Upper Deception Creek. On 3/19, a wet slab avalanche failing on these persistent weak layers occurred on Breccia.Similar wet slabs involving weak snow near the base of the snowpack will become possible again if the snowpack does not freeze for multiple days in a row.

    Cornices have grown large over the season. An observation from Brooks is a good example of this. Minimize the amount of time spent under slopes with looming cornices. Large falling chunks of cornice can act as very large triggers impacting deep weak layers. If you are on a ridge, remember that cornices break much further back than you might think.

    (4/13/2024) 

    A large, overhanging cornice near Brooks  Lake. This piece of cornice could act as a large trigger if it failed.

Avalanche Discussion

The past several days have felt a bit more like winter than spring. Temperatures in the mountains have been cold resulting in a solid, refrozen surface on most aspects. 1-3” of snow, accompanied by moderate southerly winds fell around the Togwotee Pass area yesterday afternoon. This new snow will do little to elevate the avalanche hazard. Still, be on the lookout for pockets of unstable wind-drifted snow if you are heading into steep terrain in the highest reaches of the forecast zone. Skies are forecasted to be partly cloudy and mountain temperatures are expected to stay below freezing. Consequently, wet avalanche problems are not expected to be of much concern. It is mid-April, and any periods of sun will moisten the snow surface. Very small wet loose sluffs that are confined to the new snow will be possible on steep, sunny slopes by the afternoon. These avalanches will be small and relatively harmless to humans. 

This winter, the snowpack in the Togwotee region has been characterized by weak snow at the base and that will last throughout the season. High north facing slopes have yet to transition to a stronger spring snowpack. Coincidentally, these slopes are where this problem has been at its worst. Therefore, persistent slab avalanches remain on the problem list even with a LOW danger rating. However, the likelihood of triggering, as well as the terrain in which these slides are possible has decreased to a point where “generally safe” avalanche conditions exist.

BTAC will be issuing the final daily avalanche forecast on Saturday, April 20th but will continue with General Snow and Avalanche Information Bulletins two times per week until May. We will update the Big Sheet daily until June 1st.

 

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