Quick report
Traveled through the upper elevations of the Togwotee zone near Bonneville Pass. Clear skies today allowed for good visibility after a month of stormy weather. Above 10,500' we observed several small wind slab avalanches that failed on east-facing terrain below corniced features. These smaller (D1) avalanches are likely 2-3 days old, and isolated to high-elevation terrain. Terrain above 10,000' shows signs of significant wind transport. West facing slopes at this elevation have been stripped down to rock - while east facing terrain appears heavily loaded. Very steep, rocky, convex terrain continues to be the most likely spot to find a persistent slab avalanche - especially in areas where the snowpack quickly transitions in depth. Speaking of depth, probing in protected terrain around 10,200' revealed an average snowpack depth of 180 cm (~5' 10") on north facing slopes - with old faceted snow still harbored at the ground.
Today's warmer temperatures started heating surface snow on solar aspects up to 10,500'. Snow was becoming moist in the top 2-3 inches of the snowpack, but we did not see any signs of instability associated with warming. As we drove back towards Jackson, we did not see any signs of wet loose activity, or roller balling on lower elevation slopes either. As temperatures continue to warm this weekend, I would not be surprised to see a cycle of wet loose activity.
Brooks Lake Lodge Weather Station: 17.5" Snow with 3.05" SWE. HS: 54" - Last Cleared on February 7th.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 17F in the morning at Moccasin Basin TH. 39F in the afternoon.
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Clear skies and warming temperatures today. The morning started cold with the vehicle reading 17F in the parking lot. By afternoon, temperatures had warmed significantly and the vehicle read 39F at the parking lot. A group that we met in Jules Bowl reported overnight temperatures of 6F. West winds were light with moderate gusts above 11,000 feet.