Our lower ridge has not been controlled or touched yet this year so very indicative the backcountry snowpack. It released sometime before the morning of Jan 10.
See picture.
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The Bridger Range, specifically Bridger Bowl Ski Area, picked up </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/weather/stations/bridger-lift"><span><span>…” of snow</span></span></u></span></span></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span> (at least .6” </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://avalanche.org/avalanche-encyclopedia/snowpack/snowpack-observat…;) in the last 10 hours. This is a significant loading event that will create widespread avalanches </span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><u><span><span>in the sidecountry/backcountry</span></span></u></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>. We have been tracking the weak snow on the ground for a month and have been nervously waiting for it to get loaded and avalanche. The time has arrived. Do not get onto or underneath steep slopes today. Alex’s </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://youtu.be/BUYSrxrZqyc"><span><span><span><strong><span><u><span>…; from Sunday explains the dangerous situation we are in right now. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The avalanche danger is rated HIGH. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>From Bozeman to Big Sky, West Yellowstone, Cooke City and Island Park, the backcountry has dangerous avalanche conditions. The wind and snowfall has decreased and current drifting is minimal, but the damage has been done from days of blustery weather: slabs of new snow are now capping the weaker, faceted, sugary snow which is found throughout our forecast area (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://youtu.be/K_t6Fi6wUC4"><span><span><span><strong><span><u><span>… snow recap video</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>). This layer came alive in Lionhead on Tuesday and my partner and I were able to get widespread cracking, collapsing and also triggered a 1,000’ wide avalanche (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://youtu.be/QNkJeGFSPYs"><span><span><span><strong><span><u><span>…;, </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/29836"><span><span><span><strong><span… and observation</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>). Yesterday we toured into Beehive Basin north of Big Sky and found unstable snow on all aspects (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://youtu.be/6pbxA2gyf4M"><span><span><span><strong><span><u><span>…; and </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/29854"><span><span><span><strong><span…;). Recent avalanche activity, small collapses and cracks and very poor stability test scores kept us off avalanche terrain. Yesterday morning at the Yellowstone Club, ski patrol found a large avalanche that broke naturally during the night (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/24/natural-avalanche-yc"><span><span…;). Other ranges are not immune from this instability. Cooke City had </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/29866"><span><span><span><strong><span… cracks and collapsing</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>, and </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/29863"><span><span><span><strong><span… triggered a small slide</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span> up Hyalite on Mt. Blackmore. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Getting into avalanche terrain is not recommended. Avalanches can break wide and be triggered from afar. For today, the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Our education calendar is full of awareness lectures and field courses. Check it out: Events and Education Calendar.
AVALANCHE WARNING: Bridgers
Skiers north of Cooke City saw widespread shooting cracks and frequent collapsing while on Henderson Moutain.
A climber in Hyalite reported cracking while in a wind-loaded gully.
From email: "Approx 35 cm new snow. W aspect 9750’ HS 117 ECTP 4 and ECTP 1 35 cm down on surface hoar. Trace of new snow today and getting colder fast. Shooting cracks were common outside the skin track up to 20ft and collapsing was frequent. "
Near the bottom of their ski run a skier and a group triggered an avalanche that broke above them. This avalanche did not run far and stopped above the skier. No skiers were caught or carried.
From Obs: "While skiing one of our intended slopes, one of my partners skied over a small rollover and as he arrived at the bottom of the small slope a pocket had released above him and stopped just above where he was standing. The culprit was again the recent snow on top of older faceted snow." Photo: Anonymous
Traveled into the Blackmore area to find some soft snow and compiled a number of observations. We performed a quick ECT on a NE facing slope at roughly 9000’ in a slightly wind loaded terrain feature and got a result of ECTX. In our pit we did identify the potential for a 3-5” slab consisting of the recent snow to avalanche in certain situations. We felt this was a manageable hazard as long as it was not on a large slope with exposure. While touring we also noticed a small avalanche (presumably natural) on the E face of Blackmore. It is in the attached photo. Later we dropped a refrigerator size cornice onto a steep slope and got a small pocket of the new snow slab to release confirming our earlier suspicion. While skiing one of our intended slopes, one of my partners skied over a small rollover and as he arrived at the bottom of the small slope a pocket had released above him and stopped just above where he was standing. The culprit was again the recent snow on top of older faceted snow.
Overall was a successful outing and we scored some good snow while managing the hazard we had identified.
