23-24

<p>Warm temperatures, wind-loading, and the possibility of rain and snow later in the week will drive avalanche problems through Friday. As Alex outlined in his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJm0MFOeqCA&amp;list=PLXu5151nmAvSH326z…; from the Bridger Range, be flexible with your travel plans because conditions can rapidly fluctuate between stability and instability in the spring.</p>

<p>Wet snow avalanches will be the primary concern on most slopes. These will generally occur as wet loose slides that start at a point and spread as they gather snow (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31834"><strong><span>recent examples from the Bridger Range</span></strong></a>). The probability of larger and more destructive wet slab avalanches will increase as nighttime lows remain above freezing and daytime highs climb mid-week. Last week, melt-water moved through the snowpack, and riders in the Taylor Fork (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31856"><strong><span>photos and details</span></strong></a>) and the Northern Gallatin Range (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31874"><strong><span>photos and details</span></strong></a>) remotely triggered wet slab avalanches that broke on weak faceted snow near the ground, and a similar slide broke naturally on Mt. Abundance near Cooke City (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31866"><strong><span>details and photos</span></strong></a>). These were a good reminder that avalanches can still fail deep within the snowpack.</p>

<p>There is a chance of rain on Thursday and Friday. Besides being unpleasant for travel, rain on snow will destabilize the snowpack. Thankfully, identifying wet snow instability is relatively easy. Avoid travel on steep slopes if it is raining (because… yuck!), get on to the snow early in the day when surface-level crusts are supportable and get off before the crust breaks down and more than the upper few inches become slushy and wet. Ensure a safe egress route, as conditions often deteriorate more quickly at lower elevations.</p>

<p>Relatively small dry snow avalanches are possible on upper-elevation slopes that remain shady and cool. This weekend, skiers outside the advisory in the Tobacco Root Mountains triggered a small wind-slab avalanche on a high, north-facing run (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31891"><strong><span>details</span></s…;). Small avalanches in technical or extreme terrain can be deadly if they push backcountry travelers off cliffs or into trees and gullies. If the upper snowpack is dry, dig down and back off steep objectives if you find instability in your tests, observe shooting cracks or indications of fresh wind-loading.</p>

<p><span>Remain diligent with your snowpack assessments and route-finding, and adapt your decision-making to changing conditions.<span>&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Avalanche concerns through this weekend will chiefly be driven by the new snow that fell this week, in combination with warm temperatures and sunshine.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Avalanches could break in the recent snow, particularly on shady, high elevation slopes. These slides will be the largest and most concerning in areas that got the most new snow and on windloaded slopes. Triggering one of these avalanches is already much less likely than it was during the storm and they will become even harder to trigger as we get further out from the snowfall. Still, stay on alert for signs that the new snow is not bonded well, such as shooting cracks or unstable test results.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>On sunny slopes, the new snow provides the needed ammunition for big wet loose sluffs (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31834"><span><span><span><strong><span… from last week</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>). As the snow surface becomes wet and sticky or you start to see rollerballs and pinwheels, be on high alert. These slides will likely be confined to the new snow, but with a substantial amount of new snow they could pick up a big volume and be quite dangerous. Wet loose slides you trigger will likely break at your feet, but pay attention to what’s above you, because natural slides could come down and hit you from above.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Another concern to keep in the back of your mind is avalanches breaking deeper. Earlier this week a wet slab broke on Mt. Abundance near Cooke City (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31866"><span><span><span><strong><span… and photos</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>) and on Wednesday riders in the Little Bear area of the northern Gallatin Range remotely triggered a wet slab after the new snow loaded a still wet snowpack (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31866"><span><span><span><strong><span… and photos</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>). Remotely triggered wet slabs are unusual. After a few nights of solid freezes, I don’t expect to see more wet slabs over the next couple days, but regardless, seeing unusual avalanches makes us nervous (especially after the season we’ve had). It’s a good reminder that slides could still fail deeper, whether the snowpack is wet or still dry.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Remain diligent with your snowpack assessments and route-finding, and adapt your decision-making to changing conditions.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>