Tetons

At the mid and upper elevations, surface slabs one to two feet in depth lie upon buried surface hoar and suncrusts. Yesterday, a snowmobiler was able to remotely trigger one of these slabs on a northeasterly aspect in the Mount Oliver area. Backcountry travelers are most likely to trigger these avalanches in steep, wind-loaded starting zones that have seen little skier traffic. If clear skies prevail, these slides will become more susceptible to failure as the day warms, along with the chance of shallow wet slides on lower elevation, sunlit slopes.

Dry conditions and mostly clear skies are expected to continue through Tuesday morning before an upper level disturbance to the north brushes the region. This system will bring increasing cloud cover later in the day and may produce a few snow showers by Tuesday evening. Overnight lows in the mountains will dip into the upper teens before rising to near freezing on Tuesday. Ridgecrest winds will continue to back to the southwest at 10 to 20 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to remain MODERATE at the upper elevations of the Teton Area. Surface slabs up to two feet in depth, which rest upon buried surface hoar and/or firm surfaces, could be triggered by backcountry travelers in steep, wind-loaded avalanche starting zones. These slabs are most likely to be triggered on slopes with little skier traffic, and will become more susceptible to failure if clear skies prevail throughout the day. The general avalanche hazard in the Teton Area below 9,000 feet, the Togwotee Pass/Continental Divide Area, and the Greys River/Southwest Trails Area is expected to be LOW on Monday morning. If skies stay clear into the afternoon hours, the general avalanche hazard could increase to MODERATE, particularly in the Greys River/Southwest Trails Area.