Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

Yesterday, a snowmobiler was caught, mostly buried and injured in the Spring Creek Drainage of the Salt River Range. Initial reports indicate this slide was triggered on an east facing slope at an elevation around 9,600 feet with a crown depth of at least two feet. Similar persistent slabs could be triggered varying in depth from one foot in the lower elevations to four feet at the higher elevations. Pockets of recently developed wind slab up to a foot deep also remain suspect.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Expect cloud cover to increase overnight ahead of a weak disturbance in northwest flow that will begin to bring scattered snow showers to the region during the day on Tuesday. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the negative single digits before rising into the teens during the day. Northwesterly ridgetop winds will range from 10 to 20 miles per hour.The General Avalanche Hazard is expected to be MODERATE on Tuesday. Backcountry travelers could trigger slides up to four feet deep in steep, avalanche prone terrain. These persistent slabs lie upon weak, faceted snow and hard surfaces that formed during the January dry period. There is a high degree of spatial variability associated with these weak layers, which makes it difficult to predict how a slope will react to the presence of skiers or riders. Adjacent slopes with similar aspects could have varying conditions. Evaluate the snow and terrain carefully, and identify features of concern.