Tetons

The General Avalanche Hazard is MODERATE at the Mid and Upper elevations and LOW at the Lower elevations. Buried weak layers of faceted snow continue to lurk in steep areas with a shallow snowpack. Substantial triggers, such as snowmobiles or large groups are more likely to initiate these larger hard slides. Yesterday TWO snowmobilers highmarking at the SAME TIME in Horseshoe Bowl, north of Teton Pass released and were buried three feet by a large hard slab avalanche. Fortunately they were recovered unhurt! Monday a three foot deep hard slab avalanche 25 yards wide released behind a snowmobile traversing a northeast facing slope in the Man Bowl area of the Snake River Range. The small bowl had eight old tracks and one new track before it released. The consequences of being caught in one of these deep slides could be severe as was learned by a snowmobiler killed under similar circumstances in the Island Park area of Idaho on Monday. Avalanches are unlikely in the shallow snowpack at the lower elevations.

6-10 inches of snow is predicted in the mountains by sunrise, followed by 4-8 inches during the day on Thursday. Winds are expected to continue from the Southwest, at 30-40 mph tonight, and 20-30 mph during the day. Temperatures should remain in the upper teens to low twenties. The General Avalanche Hazard is expected to be CONSIDERABLE by morning, and increase throughout the day as new snow and wind create easy to trigger surface slabs on a variety of aspects as these slabs form on crusts, hard snow and buried surface hoar. Additionally this new load could increase the chance of triggering deeper hard slabs that lie upon the buried, persistent week layer.