Grand Teton Ski Descent

The Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center has no current rating posted for the Tetons zone — that 'No Rating' is not a clean bulletin, it's a gap in the data. BTAC's own language says to watch for recent avalanches, cracking, and audible collapsing, and to avoid traveling on or under suspect slopes. Late April in the Tetons means the snowpack is well into its spring consolidation cycle, but that also means wet avalanche cycles, variable crusts, and the ever-present risk of a lingering weak layer getting triggered. Treat this like an unconfirmed day and make conservative terrain choices until you can confirm current stability with your own snow observations on the skin track.

The relevant snowpack data is thin and the SNOTEL picture is complicated. Annie Springs at 6,021 ft — the most relevant station for the lower approach — shows only 10 inches of snow depth with stable SWE. Long Lake and McNeil Canyon are well below the Teton summit elevations and their falling trends reflect spring melt at lower elevations, not what's happening on the Grand's upper flanks. You're going to find highly variable conditions with elevation: sun-baked isothermal snow on south and southwest aspects, possible wind crust on west-facing terrain from the persistent WNW flow, and hopefully cold preserved powder on north-facing couloirs if you get up high enough. The thin mid-elevation snowpack means you'll be picking through rocks on the approach — plan accordingly.

Weather is the other variable to manage carefully across this three-day window. Today runs mostly sunny with WNW winds 10-22 mph and a 27% chance of snow showers — that wind is enough to load lee aspects and build fresh wind slabs on east and northeast-facing terrain. Wednesday bumps precip probability to 48% with W winds 10-15 mph, meaning another round of loading on east aspects. Thursday holds at 32°F at the summit with NNE winds to 21 mph — that's a wind shift and the warmest day of the window. At 32°F on exposed terrain, wet loose activity on solar aspects will pick up by midday. Plan summit pushes for first light and be off exposed faces before noon on Thursday.

With 14 hours of daylight (sunrise 6:20, sunset 8:22), you have plenty of window for an alpine start. Aim for the skin track by 4-5 AM on your summit day to hit the upper mountain while the overnight freeze is still holding — that crust is your friend on the descent but turns to mush fast once the sun hits it. Get your ski crampons and ice axe sorted before you go; a 32°F high on Thursday with variable wind crust from the prior days means the upper couloirs could be anything from hero corn to bulletproof ice depending on aspect and time of day. Pull the BTAC bulletin the night before each day — if they publish a rating, that should immediately reframe your terrain choices.