Tetons

The presence of a single skier or rider will be enough to trigger hard slab avalanches on many slopes today while other slopes may fail even after they have been tracked several times. These slabs may have varying depths up to six feet at the mid and high elevations and two feet at the low elevations. Once initiated these slabs are likely to carry severe consequences to anyone involved. Sunlight and warming may increase the sensitivity of these slabs this afternoon. Conditions are DANGEROUS at this time and extra caution is advised as weekend traffic and sunlight are likely to lure people into aggressive terrain where there is significant risk of triggering these deep instabilities. Yesterday two large avalanches were reported to have released naturally during the day in Grand Teton National Park and in the Snake River Range.

Expect partly to mostly cloudy skies with a chance for light, scattered snow showers on Sunday. Overnight lows in the mountains will be near 10 before rising into the mid to upper 20s. Westerly ridgetop winds will range from 20 to 30 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be CONSIDERABLE on Sunday. Persistent deep slab instabilities maintain dangerous avalanche conditions. Backcountry travelers venturing into avalanche terrain could trigger hard slabs up to six feet in depth in areas that have not seen recent activity. Given the depth of these slabs, a slope could be crossed numerous times before a skier or rider finds an avenue to impact one of the weak layers of concern. Do not let previous skier or rider traffic lull you into compromising terrain; if initiated, these slides are likely to carry dire consequences.