Togwotee Pass

The General Avalanche Hazard is MODERATE. Two avalanche concerns persist. Surface slabs one to three feet in depth, which rest on suncrusts and buried surface hoar, remain susceptible to human triggers. Sunday a snowboarder triggered a slide on the south side of Angle Mountain(the latest of several slides on Angle Mountain). The slide stepped down into deeper snow which is the second concern: Deep, hard slab avalanches. They are most likely in areas that have a shallow snowpack. In such areas weak, faceted snow lies beneath a supportable upper snow layer, which can give a false sense of security. Last weekend two snowmobilers triggered and were partially buried by a slide on an easterly aspect at 8500 feet in the Snake River Range. Other similar events have occurred over the past week and remain possible today as this situation continues to weaken the snowpack over time. The consequences of being caught in one of these difficult to predict slides are severe, and caution is warranted on any slope over thirty degrees with shallow snow.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. ) 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.