Trip Planning for Bridgers
Past 5 Days

Considerable

Moderate

Moderate

Moderate

Moderate
Relevant Avalanche Activity
N
Elevation: 10,000
Aspect: E
Coordinates: 45.7701, -110.9400
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0
Two large, widely propagation fractures visible through a hole in the cloud cover Monday A.M. from Bridger Canyon Dr. Upper slab failure evidently stepped down to a deeper layer estimated 400' below upper crown. Both crowns appeared to be similar depth. Also visible were debris toes further to the North that had run mostly full path. Looked like it was already covered up yesterday (tues).
A second ob via phone message:
A large natural avalanche occurred on the north summit of Bridger Peak yesterday (Monday, 27 March). The crown line was complex.
More Avalanche Details

N-R2-D2
Aspect: SE
Coordinates: 45.8822, -110.9520
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0
From IG: Battle ridge today/yesterday the 27th. Noticed this and a few other smaller solar releases as well as a couple storm slabs from during the cycle. Sun crust formed rapidly and there was a lot of wind loading in the afternoon
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SS-N-R2-D2
Aspect: E
Coordinates: 45.8822, -110.9520
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0
We observed evidence a couple of recent slab avalanches at the throne
More Avalanche Details
Relevant Photos
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We observed evidence of a couple of recent slab avalanches at the throne. Photo: J. Weingarten
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From IG: Battle ridge today/yesterday the 27th. Noticed this and a few other smaller solar releases as well as a couple storm slabs from during the cycle. Sun crust formed rapidly and there was a lot of wind loading in the afternoon. Photo: P Norvell
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From obs 3/26/23: "Saw a couple small natural slides breaking in the new snow.... occurred in the afternoon sometime" Photo: J. Weingarten
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Photo: R. Lindsey
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A runner reported on 3/24/23: "I observed the results of a wet slide avalanche within the first mile of Middle Cottonwood Creek Trail. The slide came down from the south side of the canyon (north facing), and crossed the trail at about 4-5' deep and 10' across at the trail with debris and into the creek at the creek crossing about .75 mile from the trailhead. The crown was only about 100' up the side of the canyon. The avalanche would've occurred earlier in the week, there was just the skiff of snow on it from the previous light snow (22nd?).... This is the 3rd wet slide I've seen in the last 3-4 weeks on Middle Cottonwood in the same region where the trail is on the south side of the creek (mile .4-.80 from summer trailhead)... I've seen wet slides in that area 3 of the last 4 years once the sun hammers that south slope in the afternoon. I would expect more at the next warm spell after this current storm cycle."
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A runner reported on 3/24/23: "I observed the results of a wet slide avalanche within the first mile of Middle Cottonwood Creek Trail. The slide came down from the south side of the canyon (north facing), and crossed the trail at about 4-5' deep and 10' across at the trail with debris and into the creek at the creek crossing about .75 mile from the trailhead. The crown was only about 100' up the side of the canyon. The avalanche would've occurred earlier in the week, there was just the skiff of snow on it from the previous light snow (22nd?).... This is the 3rd wet slide I've seen in the last 3-4 weeks on Middle Cottonwood in the same region where the trail is on the south side of the creek (mile .4-.80 from summer trailhead)... I've seen wet slides in that area 3 of the last 4 years once the sun hammers that south slope in the afternoon. I would expect more at the next warm spell after this current storm cycle."
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As we returned to Frazier Basin from below, we saw five natural avalanches on the southeast-facing wall of the basin. They entrained only the 1 to 2 inches of snow that had fallen during the day. However, they were notable in that they ran 500 to 700 vertical feet. They indicate that the new snow may not bond well to the old snow surface. A crust formed by the recent warm temperatures and sunny skies is the subsurface that snow is falling on. This will become a more significant concern as more snow falls this week. Photo: GNFAC
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From obs: "Noticed this large avalanche in unsupported terrain yesterday morning. I called it HS-N-R3-D3-U although it looks to have failed on facets at the ground. Frequent flyer but impressive. Debris was approx. the size of a football field and 8-10' deep, ran full extent of D3 track." A Newman
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From obs: "Noticed this large avalanche in unsupported terrain yesterday morning. I called it HS-N-R3-D3-U although it looks to have failed on facets at the ground. Frequent flyer but impressive. Debris was approx. the size of a football field and 8-10' deep, ran full extent of D3 track." A Newman
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From obs: "Noticed this large avalanche in unsupported terrain yesterday morning. I called it HS-N-R3-D3-U although it looks to have failed on facets at the ground. Frequent flyer but impressive. Debris was approx. the size of a football field and 8-10' deep, ran full extent of D3 track." A Newman
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From IG message 3/11/23: "...yesterday, at Fairy Lake, very windy and this slid naturally sometime between when we got to the area at noon and 3oclock. There was also a smaller natural wind slab in the northern bowl with arrowhead. Observed wind loading all day." Photo: P. Norvell
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From IG, “Noticed a few natural and human triggered surface slides of the new snow on the old crust layer. All of these were north of Bridger Bowl on The Ramp” C Lambert
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From IG, “Noticed a few natural and human triggered surface slides of the new snow on the old crust layer. All of these were north of Bridger Bowl on The Ramp”
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From Obs, "Toured wolverine bowl and noticed a couple of large slides near the ridge on NE aspects. The most obvious was this one on the Hourglass that looks like it went in the last week. The trigger could have been part of the massive cornices breaking off." Photo: R. Leslie
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Intentionally triggered new snow avalanche at Flathead Pass. Photo: T Miller
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Intentionally triggered new snow avalanche at Flathead Pass. Photo: T Miller
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On Buck Ridge today (3/5/23) we found fresh, unstable drifts. This fresh slab was 4-6" deep. Cracking like this is a sign that wind slabs will avalanche on steeper slopes. Photo: GNFAC
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Skier triggered avalanche on Elephant Mtn. 3/4/23. SS-ASu-R2-D1.5-I
Vertical Fall: ~700' Distance Traveled: ~1000' Aspect: 15 N Elevation of start zone: 9645'
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Skier triggered deep slab avalanche on NE face of Hyalite Peak 3/4/23.
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From IG: Skiers near Mt. Blackmore on 2/24 saw a large avalanche on the east side of Mt. Blackmore that appeared to have happened in the last 24 hours.
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From email 2/24/23: "Came across this very large cornice that appeared to have broken naturally sometime in the past 24 hours. Saw a few others that had broken recently throughout our tour, but none as large as this." E. Heiman
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Drove up to Bridger at noon and saw a large avalanche on along the road north of the fire station. It was 75’ wide, 1-1.5’ deep and 25’ vertical. HS-N-R4-D1.5/2. It was on an east facing slope, south of the long slope that has cornices. Photo: GNFAC
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Drove up to Bridger at noon and saw a large avalanche on along the road north of the fire station... The slope with cornices hadn’t slid at this point. On the way home at 3:30 the larger slope with cornices had slid. It was very big, possibly R5. 1.5-2’ deep, 200’ wide, huge chunks of hard slab and cornice. Looks like new wind-loaded snow with some gouges into older snow. Photo: GNFAC
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Drove up to Bridger at noon and saw a large avalanche on along the road north of the fire station... The slope with cornices hadn’t slid at this point. On the way home at 3:30 the larger slope with cornices had slid. It was very big, possibly R5. 1.5-2’ deep, 200’ wide, huge chunks of hard slab and cornice. Looks like new wind-loaded snow with some gouges into older snow. Photo: GNFAC
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About 34 degree rollover, 14 inch crown. Photo: E. Volk
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Went for a ski up the Flanders drainage in Hyalite today. The day was punctuated by light winds and heavy snowfall.
On the skin in, we noted numerous D1 storm slab avalanches about 15cm down in the new snow on many aspects and elevations. Approaching a ridgeline, we experienced a shooting crack that propagated a very small slide in slightly wind affected snow. We dug an ECT on a SE facing aspect at 9000ft. We were unable to get propagation. Snow totals appeared to be higher than forecasted, with 60cm of new snow as of about 12:30. By the time we ripped skins, the area had received an additional 10cm of snow, putting totals around 60-70cm of low density snow on top of a stout melt freeze crust on the aspect we were skiing.
we did not observe any cracking collapsing or wumphing in buried weak layers, nor signs of avalanches on those layers. The new snow had very low SWE.
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I sunk to the ground on Mt Ellis when I stepped out of my skis. A poor, unsupportable structure is not everywhere, but it certainly was on the ridge. Photo: GNFAC
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Karl Birkeland got an ECTP9 under a wind slab on the Throne. We could feel the hard slab and softer, weaker snow under it with our ski pole. Photo: GNFAC
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We founds areas that were scoured to the dirt and adjacent areas loaded from the wind. The evidence of strong wind was everywhere. Photo: GNFAC
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At the ridgetop of the Throne we found deep wind slabs that had cracked naturally; a sign of instability. Photo: GNFAC
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One maybe two distinct seemingly natural large natural slab avalanches on small slope directly next to bridger canyon drive. One on the lookers left was likely cornice triggered, but on the right it's unclear to me if it propagated or released naturally.
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One maybe two distinct seemingly natural large natural slab avalanches on small slope directly next to bridger canyon drive. One on the lookers left was likely cornice triggered, but on the right it's unclear to me if it propagated or released naturally.
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Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the Friends of the GNFAC at this year's King and Queen of the Ridge at Bridger Bowl! Photo: GNFAC
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This year's King of the Ridge, Casey Bloomer with a record-setting 34 hikes. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the Friends of the GNFAC at this year's King and Queen of the Ridge at Bridger Bowl! Photo: GNFAC
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Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the Friends of the GNFAC at this year's King and Queen of the Ridge at Bridger Bowl! Photo: GNFAC
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Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the Friends of the GNFAC at this year's King and Queen of the Ridge at Bridger Bowl! Photo: GNFAC
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Impressive avalanche cycle in the Bridgers to view as the skies clear. Most slides seemed to have happened mid storm. Here’s some photos of a large slide on the west side/behind north boundary. Photo: B. Sienkowski
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Impressive avalanche cycle in the Bridgers to view as the skies clear. Most slides seemed to have happened mid storm. Here’s some photos of a large slide on the west side/behind north boundary. Photo: B. Sienkowski
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Debris from large avalanche cycle on 1/28-1/29. Photo: BBSP
Videos- Bridgers
Weather Forecast Bridgers
Extended Forecast for10 Miles NNE Bozeman MT
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This
AfternoonPatchy
Blowing SnowHigh: 36 °F
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Tonight
Mostly Cloudy
and WindyLow: 25 °F
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Saturday
Mostly Cloudy
then Snow
Likely and
Patchy
Blowing SnowHigh: 39 °F
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Saturday
NightSnow and
Patchy
Blowing SnowLow: 19 °F
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Sunday
Chance Snow
and Patchy
Blowing SnowHigh: 31 °F
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Sunday
NightChance Snow
Low: 15 °F
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Monday
Chance Snow
then Snow
LikelyHigh: 31 °F
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Monday
NightSnow Likely
Low: 17 °F
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Tuesday
Snow Likely
High: 26 °F
The Last Word

Avalanches have killed 23 people in the United States so far this season. On Monday, March 27th, a snowmobiler was killed in an avalanche in Utah. This was the tenth fatality in March.
More info on each event is available at the Avalanche.org Accidents Page.