Togwotee Pass

The general avalanche hazard is CONSIDERABLE. Up to 8 inches of new snow rests on crusts and surface hoar. Winds have drifted this snow into soft slabs to 18 inches in depth that could be triggered on the back side of high, wind exposed areas. The new snow has increased the strain on dangerous hard slabs that lie upon a base of weak, faceted snow, and could fail to the ground. New snow slides, a single person, and more likely a snowmobile, could trigger these avalanches even after a slope has been crossed multiple times. Sunday, a snowmobiler was killed by a 3 to 4 foot deep hard slab avalanche in the Big Holes, west of Victor, Idaho.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. ) Steady snow is expected overnight into Monday as the low-pressure system passes through Montana. Storm accumulations at 9,500 feet will be 10 or more inches with locally deeper amounts when the snowfall gradually tapers off Monday afternoon. Winds will veer from westerly to northwesterly overnight with 25 mile per hour averages. Monday morning mountain temperatures will be near 10 degrees and rise to the upper teens during the day. The general avalanche hazard in the Tetons and Greys River areas is expected to be CONSIDERABLE Monday. The light density snow will be blown into easily triggered soft slabs to 18 inches in depth on lee slopes at upper elevations. The possibility of triggering hard slabs to 6 feet in depth that rest on the deeper unstable layers of facted snow will increase.In the Togwotee Pass area and below 7,500 feet in the Tetons the hazard is expected to remain MODERATE. The chance of triggering hard slabs to three feet in depth continues as was shown by a recent slide on Breccia Peak that injured two snowmobilers.