Light snow that has been slowly accumulating since Saturday lies upon firm old snow surfaces. This recently fallen snow could be triggered by skiers and riders in very steep terrain as loose snow sluffs or as pockets of soft slab to a foot in depth. On steep northerly aspects above an elevation of 9,000 feet, hard slab avalanches could be triggered by the weight of a single person.
Skiers and riders venturing onto steep, north facing slopes above 9,000 feet could trigger hard slab avalanches with crown depths up to three feet deep. Suspect locations are steep, rocky slopes where faceted snow persists at the base of the snowpack.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Another weak system is to continue the likelihood for periods of light snow on Friday. Similar temperatures and winds are expected. Accumulations will again be light with two to five inches expected by the afternoon. The recipe for hazardous slab development is still lacking due the slow rate of accumulation and relatively light winds. The general avalanche hazard is again expected to be Low in the Tetons and Southwest Trails areas and Moderate in the Togwotee Pass areas. Slightly more then expected precipitation or stronger winds will result in the hazard to raise to Moderate in all areas as the surface slab activity will become more widespread. The distinction between the Togwotee Pass area and the other areas is that in the Togwotee Pass areas a persistent weakness exists in high north facing terrain and hard slabs with depths to three could still be triggered by a backcountry rider or skier.
