Tetons

At the upper elevations, skiers and riders could trigger small pockets of wind slab in steep, wind loaded terrain. Persistent deep slab avalanches remain the primary concern at the mid and upper elevations. Don’t let a drop in the hazard rating give you a false sense of security. While these large to very large slabs continue to be more difficult to trigger, they still carry high consequences. Remember, previous tracks are not an indication of stability with a persistent deep slab problem; your tracks could be the first ones to hit a shallow weak zone, and a deadly avalanche could be the result. With the exception of very steep, isolated terrain features, mostly stable snow exists at the lower elevations.

Unsettled weather will bring mostly cloudy to overcast skies and light snowfall into tomorrow with an expected accumulation of 1 to 3 inches. Temperatures will drop slightly into the teens before climbing back into the 20’s tomorrow, and valley temperatures may reach the low 30’s. Ridgetop winds will be west to southwest at 10 to 25 miles per hour with higher gusts favoring the Southwest Trails forecast zone. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Moderate above 7,500 feet on Friday. Backcountry travelers could trigger small pockets of winds slab in steep, wind loaded terrain at the higher elevations. These slabs could entrain loose snow and increase in volume. Although these wind slabs pose a threat, the primary concern is still the persistent deep slab avalanche. While the probability of triggering these large to very large deep slabs becomes less likely, the consequences are very high. These slabs could be up to 7 feet deep in the Tetons and Southwest Trails forecast zones and up to 4 feet in depth on Togwotee. There will be no obvious signs of instability until the avalanche is triggered. This will most likely occur in problem areas where the snowpack or slab is thin. Mostly stable snow exists below 7,500 feet.