Regional Conditions for Bridgers

Wet loose avalanches released in the warm sunshine on Tuesday, March 2nd. We expect many more in the coming days. Photo: S. Jonas

Sled Skiing in Third Yellow mule... after an air onto the slope the impact from landing resulted in a fracture and failure to / near the ground... in addition, a remote trigger occurred on adjacent slope... 200-300 ft to the skiers right. No body was caught in either slide. Skier that initiated failure was moving at high speed and was beyond slide path before majority of snow movement began. Photo: W. Miller

Sled Skiing in Third Yellow mule... after an air onto the slope the impact from landing resulted in a fracture and failure to / near the ground... in addition, a remote trigger occurred on adjacent slope... 200-300 ft to the skiers right. No body was caught in either slide. Skier that initiated failure was moving at high speed and was beyond slide path before majority of snow movement began. Photo: W. Miller

Sled Skiing in Third Yellow mule... after an air onto the slope the impact from landing resulted in a fracture and failure to / near the ground... in addition, a remote trigger occurred on adjacent slope... 200-300 ft to the skiers right. No body was caught in either slide. Photo: W. Miller

This avalanche was triggered on Sunday, 2/28, when a skier released another slide 2-300 feet away. It broke at the same time. No one was caught. This was in the Third Yellow Mule on Buck Ridge.  Photo: W. Miller

There was 6' of snow off the ridge in the Bridger Range on an east facing slope. The top 2 feet were recent wind drifting that broke clean in our stability test which indicated unstable conditions (ECTP18). We expect similar conditions and instability with wind-loaded slops throughout our forecast area. Photo: GNFAC

In the last 24 hours (2/28) 12" of low density powder and 40-50 mph west wind made it easy to trigger wind-drifted snow. Alex kicked these drifts which cracked and moved. We expect similar conditions and instability with wind-loaded slops throughout our forecast area. Photo: GNFAC

The Friends of the Avalanche Center, in partnership with the City of Bozeman, put in a Beacon Park at Beall Park. It is located on the north side of the Beall building between N. Bozeman Ave. and the ice rink. Stop by with your avalanche transceiver and do a few practice rescue drills. Your partner will thank you. Photo: S. Regan

Natural avalanche south of Saddle Peak. 2/18/2021

Photo: M. Stem

Photo: B. Finch

Observed on drive back from Bridger 2/18/21. Photo: J. Mundt

From email: "I just watched this slide from my house on Jackson Creek. It’s south of Saddle Peak." Photo: A. Coolidge

I triggered a small avalanche along the trail up Olson Creek in the Bangtails. It cracked about 75 feet wide, but only a small amount actually slid. Photo: C. Norem

From Obs: "Observed a group of recent natural avalanches on a NW facing slope into Truman Gulch at about 8600'" Photo: JR Mooney 

On 2/13/21 skiers in the backcountry north of Bridger saw this avalanche occur in wind loaded terrain. They reported a ski track in terrain above, but not sure if it was there already. Photo: C. Gostout

Natural avalanche crowns on Bridger Peak that ran during the storm from 2/4-2/8. Debris at the bottom the paths in the right of photo. Crowns were seen across all of Bridger Peak, some on Baldy Peak, many through The Pinnacles, Argentina Bowl and Saddle. Photo: GNFAC

This natural avalanche crown was seen on 2/9/21 and ran during the storm from 2/4-2/8. Photo: GNFAC

Ski patrol reported this large natural slide on 2/7/21. Photo taken 2/10/21: BBSP

From email: "Skied the ramp outside of Bridger Bowl today, saw these small NE facing crowns at 8350'. We also experienced localized cracking while skinning at the density change interface of the new and "old" snow (8-12" at this elevation by 4pm). No other observed avalanches, no other cracking and no collapsing. New snow was sluffing easily on steep terrain." Photo: D. Sandberg

Photo: A. Schoening

On 2/7/21 skiers in Beehive reported: "Numerous large collapses, ECTP in several pits on mid-pack facets, and triggered a test slope remotely from flat terrain. It broke in the old snow, but towards to top, maybe 10cm below the interface with the last week’s snow. Propagated over 50m, crown depth 60-100 cm. Would be solid size 2 if the slope wasn’t 20m tall." Photo: Sam H.

This 4' deep snowpit shows the new snow over the last 4 days: everything above the blue card, over 2' of snow measuring 2" of SWE. Avalanches are breaking on the very weak, sugary snow (facets and depth hoar) 1-1.5 feet above the ground. The smooth surface in the bottom left of the photo is the failure plane. Photo: GNFAC

Signs of a small natural avalanche on lower wolverine bowl. Photo: C. Pruden

Skiers in in northern Bridgers remote triggered this small slab on 2/6/21. Photo: @ckussmaul

From BBSP on 2/6/21" "Clear vis gave us a good view of  natural avalanches on Saddle peak , the Football field and Behind D-rtand the nose on Truman Gulch that ran yesterday morning (2/5/21)"

Natural avalanche observed near Fairy Lake on 2/6/21. 150ft wide and varying from 2.5-5ft deep. Broke in the new snow but also stepped down to near the ground.

Photo: C. Davidson

A skier north of Bridger Bowl ski area noted a layer of feathery surface hoar growing in the upper 500 vertical feet to the Ridge. B. Van Wert

These 2 natural avalanches released in Frazier Basin in the northern Bridger Range about a week ago. They are reminders that the snowpack has a weak layer we should not forget about. Photo: A. Peterson

Winds actively drifting the new snow into unstable slabs. Photo: GNFAC

Multiple (at least 3) Natural avalanches in Truman Gulch on the west side of the Bridger Range ran on Wednesday 1/13/21. Photo: P. Hinz

Routine avalanche mitigation within the boundaries of Bridger Bowl sympathetically caused half of the Football Field on Saddle Peak to avalanche immediately south of the boundary. "Debris ran over the cliffs pulling out spindrift cones that were up to 5 ft deep." Photo: BBSP

*Note: BBSP does not perform any avalanche mitigation outside of the ski area boundaries

The recent wind has stripped the snowpack bare in spots and created large drifts in others at the Throne. Photo: GNFAC

The thin snowpack at the Throne is harboring the largest depth hoar I have seen this season. Photo: GNFAC

From obs: "On our way out to fairy lake we stopped in the open meadow just before the campground and noticed a sizeable natural avalanche on a northfacing slope that appeared to have broken on the layer of sugary facets on the ground. From our perspective it appeared to have happened a few days ago likely after the loading event midweek." Photo: E. Marcoux

Skiers triggered this avalanche on Flanders Mountain on 1/9/21. It was triggered out of the photo to the right on a seperate slope around the corner. It propagated over 1000' wide, and looks to be 6' deep at deepest. Photo: A. Blackmer

From obs: "the whumpf I had heard previously remotely triggered a series of 7-8 large cracks that ranged from 30-100 feet wide. ... As I carefully descended the meadow, I saw many more cracks throughout the slope from the same remote trigger event. Additionally, I triggered two more significant whumpfs with shooting cracks 10-40 feet wide. We determined our remote trigger was at least 300 feet away from where the snow collapsed and cracked"

Photo: L. Ippolito

Large natural avalanche south of Hardscrabble Peak near Fairy Lake. Likely broke during snowfall/wind on Thursday, Jan 7th.

 A skier had widespread collapsing, "whumphing" and cracking of the snowpack in Truman Gulch west of Bridger Bowl. Photo: P. Hinz

"I was skiing down the apron at Bridger and noticed this slide on Bradley's that appeared to be skier triggered." Photo: B. O'Donoghue