Archived Advisory for Wed Jan 2 2008

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2

Good morning. This is Doug Chabot with the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Advisory issued on Wednesday, January 2nd, at 7:30 a.m. Big Sky Ski Patrol, in cooperation with the Friends of the Avalanche Center, sponsor today’s advisory. This advisory does not apply to operating ski areas.

MOUNTAIN WEATHER

A ridge of high pressure brought sunny skies, light winds and no new snow. Today will be partly cloudy with south westerly winds increasing throughout the day to 20-35 mph. A temperature inversion is in place this morning with most locations at 9,000 feet reading the high 20s. This won’t change much during the day, but will drop into the single digits tonight.

SNOWPACK AND AVALANCHE DISCUSSION

The Bridger Range:

In the Bridger Range the winds created unstable wind slabs on the east side of the crest. Bridger Peak had a sizable natural avalanche release Monday night off the ridge. Smaller wind pockets to the north also avalanched, as did a few slopes in the Frasier/Sacajewea Bowl area on Saturday night and Sunday. There’s not much snow left on the west side to blow anywhere, and recent loading has subsided. Consequently, for today, the avalanche danger is MODERATE on wind-loaded slopes and LOW on all other terrain.

The northern Gallatin Range and northern Madison Range:

On Monday, in the northern Gallatin Range, I got wind slabs to crack on Mount Ellis. A skier on Mt Blackmore yesterday also got wind drifted terrain to crack—a clear sign of instability. On Monday evening in the northern Madison Range, a natural avalanche on Fan Mtn and six others on Cedar Mtn released on steep, wind-loaded slopes. I snapped a picture of the Fan slide which I posted at http://www.mtavalanche.com/photos/photos.php

My partner and I circumnavigated Lone Peak yesterday. During my 3 hour tour I saw the entire gamut: recent avalanche activity, cracking and collapsing, stable snow, powder, and breakable crust. Areas of thin snow cover had large grains of sugary, faceted snow which collapsed, cracked and prompting us to stay clear of anything steep. A Big Sky Ski Patroller ventured on to a 35-degree slope that was not wind-loaded near treeline and got cracks shooting out 2-300 feet in both directions. Luckily, not everything is gloom and doom. Although there are still instabilities lurking, there are also lots of slopes that are relatively stable and we found great skiing on north-facing terrain. Given the recent avalanche activity and variable conditions, for today, the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on wind-loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees. All other slopes will have a MODERATE avalanche danger.

The southern Gallatin and southern Madison Ranges, including the Lionhead area near West Yellowstone:

The snowpack in the southern Gallatin and Madison Ranges is gaining strength, but still has lingering problems. A layer of faceted snow buried 2 feet deep is found on many slopes and is responsible for avalanche activity last week. Today, Mark Staples and I are headed to Lionhead in order to further assess the snowpack. Given the recent winds, the avalanche danger remains CONSIDERABLE on wind-loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees. All other slopes will have a MODERATE danger.

The mountains around Cooke City, and the Washburn Range:

Scott and his partner spent the weekend in Cooke City. They rode around trying not to get lost in the blizzard and managed to dig a few snowpits too. During breaks in the weather they saw a few avalanches, two of which were human triggered. All were on steep, wind-loaded slopes. Faceted snow near the ground is still breaking on steep slopes, although it’s getting stronger. For today, the avalanche danger on all slopes steeper than 35 degrees is MODERATE. Lower angled terrain will have a LOW avalanche danger.

AVALANCHE EDUCATION

An Avalanche Awareness for Snowmobilers course is being offered in West Yellowstone Saturday and Sunday, January 5th and 6th. Lectures will run from 12-5 on Saturday at the Conference Hotel, with all day field session on Sunday. The course will cover avalanche terrain, mountain weather, snowpack, human factors, and rescue. No registration is required. Check out the education calendar on www.mtavalanche.com or call us at 587-6984 for more information.

Jay Pape and Ron Johnson will teach an Avalanche Awareness class in Helena on Saturday, January 5th from 10-2 pm. The course will be held at the Montana Associations of Counties Building located at 2715 Skyway Dr near the Helena Airport. Course content will cover basic avalanche skills including beacon use. It’s free and open for all ages and user groups. Call Fred Bailey at 431-9402 for more information.

Ron will issue the next advisory tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. If you get out in the backcountry give us a call or email with your observations. You can reach us at 587-6984 or through our website www.mtavalanche.com.