Tetons

The General Avalanche Hazard is MODERATE at the Mid and Upper elevations. Two avalanche situations are possible: First, surface slabs one to three feet in depth, which rest atop suncrusts and buried surface hoar, remain susceptible to human triggers. Sunday skiers triggered a large slide on an East facing slope on Mount Taylor near Teton Pass and Saturday skiers remotely triggered a large slide on a Southwest facing slope outside the Grand Targhee resort. The second concern is the possibility of deep, hard slab avalanches in areas that have a shallow snow cover and slopes that have areas of thinly covered cliff bands and rock outcroppings. Weak faceted snow lies beneath a supportable upper snowpack and can give backcountry travelers a false sense of security. With continued cold weather the avalanche danger will increase as faceting moves up into the snowpack. The General Avalanche Hazard at Low elevations is LOW. Getting caught in an avalanche at moderate hazard can be just as serious as getting caught when the hazard is extreme.

Daytime will be clear Wednesday with temperatures rising into the upper teens then clouds will increase in the evening as a cold front moves across the region bringing a chance of an inch or two of light snow. Winds will be westerly at 10 to 15 miles per hour. The General Avalanche Hazard will be MODERATE. Two avalanche concerns continue: Surface slabs one to two feet in depth, which rest on suncrusts and buried surface hoar remain susceptible to human triggers on many aspects. The second avalanche possibility is deep, hard slabs. Normal signs of stability such as previous tracks may only be the beginning of the weakening of the stronger surface snows. Under the current weather conditions the snowpack will become weaker and weaker and the chances of triggering a dangerous hard slab avalanche will increase. This condition has existed in the Greys River area to the South and Togwotee Pass region to the East. Ascend and descend slopes in tree covered areas and avoid open slopes to reduce your chances of releasing slides during this unpredictable period.