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Annual Report
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Annual Report

Our annual report is full of information about the Avalanche Center. In it you'll find sections on History, Accomplishments, Education, Accidents, Budget, and Letters of Support. We're proud of our accomplishments, so browse through the report to get a better idea of our role in the community.

Current and prior Annual Reports are available in the 'File Attachments' section below. Or click on the cover of our most recent Annual Report 2010-2011 (pdf)!

Annual Report 2010-2011, (2.8 MB, pdf)

If you'd like to receive a hard copy of the report, send us an email and we'll promptly mail one to you.

Media Articles

Below is a list of articles which have appeared in southwest Montana media emphasizing snow and avalanche safety. GNFAC serves as a resource for media outlets in informing the public about avalanche awareness.

2012 GNFAC Season Summary - 2012-Apr-12

We just wrapped up our 22^nd season of avalanche forecasting with 138 advisories. It was a busy, challenging winter and Mark Staples, Eric Knoff and I want to thank everyone for their support.

View pdf: 2012 GNFAC Season Summary.pdf
The Human Factor - The Avalanche Wild Cark - MSA - 2012-Jan-24

View pdf: Knoff The Human Factor.pdf
Clear Skies Does Not Always Equal Clear Sailing - A Look At The Formation Of Persistent Weak Layers - MSA - 2012-Jan-01

View pdf: Clear Skies Does Not Equal Clear Sailing.pdf
Risky Business - Factors to consider when riding in the backcountry - MSA - 2011-Dec-01

View pdf: Risky Business.pdf

Technical Publications

The following articles and professionals papers were written by the staff of GNFAC.

Available on the web:

2010 Saddle Peak Avalanche: Sidecountry Challenges, Misconceptions, and Lessons - Proceedings of the 2010 ISSW - 2010-Sep-30

On February 16th, 2010 a person accidentally kicked off a cornice that triggered a large slide on Saddle Peak immediately outside Bridger Bowl’s boundary. This slide narrowly missed killing several people, and the immense snow cloud was seen throughout the ski area.

View pdf: ISSW_2010.pdf
Minimizing "False-Stable" Stability Test Results. - ISSW 2006 - 2006-Oct-01

By Karl Birkeland and Doug Chabot. Paper presented at the 2006 ISSW, and published in the Proceedings of the 2006 ISSW, Telluride, CO. You can also view an online video of this presentation.

View pdf: ISSW2006.pdf
Snow Pilot - Procedings of the 2004 ISSW 2004 - 2004-Oct-01

SnowPilot. By Doug Chabot. Poster presented at the 2004 ISSW, and published in the Proceedings of the 2004 ISSW, Jackson, Wyoming.

View pdf: ISSW2004.pdf
Interpreting Shear Quality into Stability Test Results - Proceedings of the 2002 ISSW - 2002-Nov-18

By Ron Johnson and Karl Birkeland. Paper presented at the 2002 ISSW, and published in the Proceedings of the 2002 ISSW, Penticton, British Columbia.

View pdf: Johnson 2002 ISSW.pdf
Avalanche Education for Snowmobilers - Proceedings of the 2002 ISSW - 2002-Jun-18

By Doug Chabot. Paper presented at the 2002 ISSW, and published in the Proceedings of the 2002 ISSW, Penticton, British Columbia.

View pdf: Chabot 2002 ISSW
Interpreting Snowpack Stability Tests - Ski Patrol Magazine - 2001-Nov-23

By Ron Johnson. Published in the Winter Issue of the 2001 Ski Patrol Magazine.
This is the original article that was written for an online newsletter for the National Ski Patrol. This article was edited and posted online and was re-edited and published in the Winter Issue 2001 of Ski Patrol Magazine.

Interpreting Snowpack Stability Tests

View pdf:
Alpinism and Avalanches - The Avalanche Review - 2001-Jun-18

By Doug Chabot. Published in the February, 2001 issue of The Avalanche Review, 19(4).

View pdf:
Patterns of snow stability throughout the Bridger Range. - Procedings of the 1998 ISSW - 1998-Jun-18

By Karl Birkeland. Paper presented at the 1998 ISSW, and to be published in the Proceedings of the 1998 ISSW, Sunriver, Oregon.

View pdf:
A Comparison Study of the Shredblock and Rutschblock Snow Stablility Tests - Procedings of the 1998 ISSW - 1998-Jun-18

A Comparison Study of the Shredblock and Rutschblock Snow Stablility Tests by Andy Gleason. Presented at the 1998 ISSW, and to be published in the Proceedings of the 1998 ISSW, Sunriver, Oregon.
The Shredblock test is a field test to measure the relative instability of the snowpack in a backcountry setting with minimal equipment. The Shredblock test is based on the Rutschblock test but uses a snowboard instead of skis to load an isolated column of snow.

Methods

View pdf:
Near-Surface Faceted Crystals: Conditions Necessary for Growth and Contribution to Avalanche Formation, Southwest Montana, U.S.A. - Cyberspace Snow and Avalanche Center - 1996-Jun-18

By Karl Birkeland, Ron Johnson, and Scott Schmidt.

View pdf:
Atmospheric circulation patterns associated with heavy snowfall events, Bridger Bowl, Montana, U.S.A. - Mountain Research and Development - 1996-Jun-18

By Karl Birkeland and Cary Mock. Published in 1996 in Mountain Research and Development, 16(3), 281-286.

View pdf:

A complete list of publications (for articles not available on the web, try the library):

Refereed Publications/Book Chapters

Birkeland, K.W. Under review. Spatial patterns of snow stability throughout a small mountain range. Submitted to Journal of Glaciology, August, 1998.

Birkeland, K.W. and R.F. Johnson. Under review. The stuffblock snow stability test: Comparability with the rutschblock, usefulness in different snow climates, and repeatability between observers. Submitted to Cold Regions Science and Technology, August, 1998.

Birkeland, K.W. In press. Avalanche Science and Forecasting. Invited essay for a book commemorating the 25th anniversary of the PBS science documentary, NOVA. S. Hackman, editor.

Birkeland, K.W. 1998. Terminology and predominant processes associated with the formation of weak layers of near-surface crystals in the mountain snowpack. Arctic and Alpine Research, 30(2), 193-199.

Birkeland, K.W., R.F. Johnson, and D.S. Schmidt. 1998. Near-surface faceted crystals formed by diurnal recrystallization: A case study of weak layer formation in the mountain snowpack and its contribution to avalanche formation. Arctic and Alpine Research, 30(2), 199-204.

Birkeland, K.W. and C. Mock. 1996. Atmospheric circulation patterns associated with heavy snowfall events, Bridger Bowl, Montana, U.S.A. Mountain Research and Development, 16(3), 281-286.

Birkeland, K.W., K.J. Hansen, and R.L. Brown. 1995. The spatial variability of snow resistance on potential avalanche slopes. J. Glaciology, 41(137), 183-190.

Non-Refereed Publications

Birkeland, K.W. In press. Snow stability patterns throughout the Bridger Range, Montana. To be published in the Proceedings of the 1998 International Snow Science Workshop, Sun River, Oregon.

Johnson, R.F. and K.W. Birkeland. In press. Effectively using and interpreting stability tests. To be published in the Proceedings of the 1998 International Snow Science Workshop, Sun River, Oregon.

Birkeland, K.W. In press. Near-surface faceted crystals: Sometimes today’s great skiing can become tomorrow’s avalanche nightmare. To be published in The Avalanche Review, 17(1).

Stock, J., K. Elder and K. Birkeland. In press. Near-surface faceted crystals and their effect on snow stability, Red Mountain Pass Corridor, Colorado. To be published in the Proceedings of the 66th Western Snow Conference, Snowbird, Utah.

Birkeland, K.W. 1998. The Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. The Avalanche Review, 16(4), 1-3.

Birkeland, K.W. 1996. The effect of ski run cutting and artificial snowmaking on snow water equivalent at Big Sky Ski Area, Montana. Proceedings of the 64th Western Snow Conference, Bend, Oregon, 137-148.

Birkeland, K.W., R.F. Johnson, and D.S. Schmidt. 1996. Near-surface faceted crystals: Conditions necessary for growth and contribution to avalanche formation, southwest Montana, U.S.A. Proceedings of the International Snow Science Workshop, Banff, Alberta, 75-79.

Birkeland, K.W. 1995. The Stuffblock Stability Test: a quick "how to" guide and a call for data. The Avalanche Review, 13(4), 8.

Birkeland, K.W. 1995. Chasing avalanches with the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. U.S. Forest Service Northern Region News, Issue 5, p. 1.

Johnson, R.F. and K.W. Birkeland. 1994. The stuffblock: A simple and inexpensive snow stability test. Proceedings of the 1994 International Snow Science Workshop, Snowbird, Utah.

Birkeland, K.W. and K. Elder. 1994. Snow science, necessary instruments, and the scientific method. The Avalanche Review, 12(6), 3-7.

Birkeland, K.W. 1993. Recipe for starting a regional avalanche center. The Avalanche Review, 11(6), 4.

Birkeland, K.W. 1992. Avalanches and extreme snowmobilers. The Avalanche Review, 10(4), 1-3.

Brown, R.L. and K.W. Birkeland. 1990. A comparison of the digital resistograph with the RAM penetrometer. Proceedings of the 1990 International Snow Science Workshop, Bigfork, Montana, p. 19-30.

Hansen, K.J. and K.W. Birkeland. 1989. Applications of dendrochronology in avalanche studies. The Avalanche Review, 7(4), 3-7.

Birkeland, K.W. and T. Leonard. 1988. An inexpensive bomb tram for aerial detonations. The Avalanche Review, 6(4), 6

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