Regional Conditions for Cooke City Area

Small slab avalanche observed on 11/28 near Cooke City. East aspect, 9,000' elevation. Photo: B. Fredlund

A south facing snow profile near Lulu Pass in Cooke City. The bottom half of the snowpack is hard October snow. The top half of the snowpack is soft November snow. No propagation in an Extended Column Test. Photo: GNFAC

A north facing snow profile near Daisy Pass in Cooke City. There is an ice layer on the ground. Above the ice, half the snowpack is faceted October snow and half is November snow. No propagation in an Extended Column Test. Photo: GNFAC

"... from a mid elevation, due south aspect [on November 15 near Cooke City]. It sums up the structure around here pretty well. Knife hard melt/ freeze snow at the bottom (from the late Oct/ early Nov. warm up). Then about 40cms of F to 4F powder, on top..." Photo: B. Fredlund

Watch the video HERE!

After the storm from Oct 13-24, a strong southwest wind event on Oct 30 drifted the recent snow into slabs that avalanched naturally. Activity was mostly on NE aspects. Photo: B. Fredlund

After the storm from Oct 13-24, a strong southwest wind event on Oct 30 drifted the recent snow into slabs that avalanched naturally. Activity was mostly on NE aspects. Photo: B. Fredlund

After the storm from Oct 13-24, a strong southwest wind event on Oct 30 drifted the recent snow into slabs that avalanched naturally. Activity was mostly on NE aspects. Photo: B. Fredlund

The BBWC (Bridger Bowl Wind Cloud) on Tuesday 10/27 accompanied 50-60 mph gusts. This strong wind drifted recent snow into slabs that could avalanche on steep slopes. Early season snow means we need to be thinking about and managing avalanche hazard when we travel in the mountains. Photo: GNFAC

Backcountry.com did a social media survey and found that many of us could use an avalanche class. Don't hesitate to sign up for one. Even a one-hour avalanche awareness class is a great place to start. Check out our Education Calendar for an expanding list of classes being offered in southwest Montana. Many are free.

Wind was blowing and drifting recent snow in the Bridger Range the morning of October 15th. Photo: B. VandenBos

Snow on Lone Mtn. on the morning of October 14th. Photo: B. VandenBos

By morning of October 11 most mountain ranges were white at the higher elevations. This picture of Saddle Peak was taken from Stone Creek up Bridger Canyon. About .6-.8" of precipitation fell throughout southwest Montana. The Fisher Creek Snotel outside of Cooke City shows 6" of snow fell at 9,100 feet. Only time will tell what melts and what sticks around, but it sure is a good sign! Photo: GNFAC