The general avalanche hazard is Considerable. Loose snow sluffs and soft surface slabs with depths to two feet could be triggered today. Older weak snow layers that lie in the snowpack could also fail causing even larger slides after initiation of the surface snow or by a single rider or skier. Any of these events could carry dire consequences and cautious routefinding and conservative decision making is essential today.
West winds and recent snowfall have formed surface slabs on leeward aspects. These slabs could have depths to two feet and will be most sensitive at higher elevations where they lie upon a variety of snow surfaces including sun and wind crusts.
The triggering of slabs that lie upon persistent layers of weak snow will be most likely at the mid and low elevations where new snow lies upon layers of surface hoar and in many areas, a generally faceted snowpack. At high elevations the persistent weaknesses are deeper in the snowpack, less likely to trigger and therefore harder to predict. If triggered, however these hard slabs would carry severe consequences.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Moisture embedded in the cold front will bring snow through Saturday. Four to six inches of light density snow could fall in some areas. Temperatures are to remain in the single digits and winds are to be from the west-northwest with fifteen to twenty mile per hour averages.The general avalanche hazard will be Moderate in the Tetons and Considerable in the Togwotee Pass and Southwest Trails areas. Wind formed slabs in high exposed terrain remain susceptible to human triggers on leeward slopes. In all regions and elevations persistent weaknesses are prevalent in the snowpack. Failure of these layers could occur in the middle layers of the snowpack or in many areas where the snowpack is generally shallow, failure could occur to the ground.
