Regional Conditions for Cooke City Area

This large avalanche was triggered intentionally by the Bridger Bowl Ski Patrol at the ridgeline above little Slushman's Ravine. They were cutting a cornice and it broke 7 feet back from the edge, 4 feet deep and 150 feet wide. It was a hard slab avalanche and ran 1150 feet. It was east facing and broke on a crust formed in the early season. It's code is HS-AC-R2-D3-O-TL. Photo: BBSP

We put up the Taylor Fork weather station today (12/03) and it is churning out hourly data. Check it out here: https://www.mtavalanche.com/weather/stations/taylor-fork

We partnered with the Gallatin Valley Snowmobile Association to put in two new beacon checkers at the Taylor Fork and Buck Ridge trailheads. They are working great!

Thanks GVSA! Photo: GNFAC

We recognize that backcountry skiing can be daunting to approach. That’s why Ben Goertzen and the Friends of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center have teamed up to help breakdown some of the most prominent barriers of entry to backcountry skiing through this campaign. One lucky winner will be given a complete backcountry skiing kit, a spot in an avalanche awareness course, and featured in a three part video series that ends with an excursion into the backcountry with professional skier and filmmaker, Ben Goertzen . These videos will be used by the Friends of GNFAC to help other aspiring backcountry skiers gain awareness, knowledge and start to breakdown their barriers to entry.

Click Here for More Details on How to Enter

Watch the Backcountry Barriers Launch Video: https://vimeo.com/376473804

This avalanche of wind-drifted snow was triggered with a ski cut on a southeast aspect at 9,800'. Photo: T. Chingas

This slide was triggered up Hyalite from 100' away. It was a wind loaded slope at 9,000', northeast aspect. Photo: T. Chingas

From an observation:

When approaching the base of Mt. Blackmore this morning at roughly 8:45 am we observed strong swirling winds at higher elevations (summit of Blackmore and the Elephant/Blackmore Saddle). The winds we observed were primarily loading snow onto E and SE facing aspects. Furthermore, we witnessed four naturally triggered avalanches over a twenty minute span. All slides appeared to be D1/D2 on E and SE aspects and, seemingly, restricted to the newly loaded snow. Photo: SAM

From an email:

"Chris and I toured up the East Ridge of Mineral today and dug a pit on a NE aspect around 9000'. HS 75 cm, mostly facets with the exception of the new snow. ECTX. We found more of a windslab on some more exposed features although it wasn't reactive for us and we saw no natural avalanches with the exception of a small slide in the couloir skier's left of the summit of Meridian. We were still a ways away but it appeared to have run on the old/new snow interface." Photo: Henry Coppolillo

From obs.: "New snow from 24 hours ago blew around the ridge tops from 11pm last night until 7am this morning ~30mph. This soft 4 finger slab was about 6”-7” deep and broke on a convex roll.... We were assessing the terrain carefully and expected this result." Photo: R. Christian-Frederick

We triggered this dry loose avalanche on a west facing slope in Beehive Basin on 11/30. 3-5" of recent snow easily slid on top of a crust. Photo: GNFAC

Dry loose snow avalanches were easy to trigger on Saturday 11/30 in Beehive Basin. Photo: GNFAC

These small crowns indicate that new snow may not bond well to the old snow surface. Photo: B. Fredlund

This snowpit was on a NE aspect at 10,000' on Henderson Bench. It was 3 feet deep and stable. Facets (weaker snow) are getting stronger. We will keep an eye on these to make sure the positive trend continues. Our snowpit profile is here. Photo: GNFAC

This 2-foot deep snowpit consisted of layers of crusts and facets. It was dug on a SW aspect at 9800' in Miller Drainage. Nothing broke clean in our stability tests and we are optimistic about it handling a load of new snow. Photo: GNFAC

Snowpit profile is here.

We dug two pits, one on a SW aspect in the Rasta Chute off Scotch Bonnet Peak (marked with arrow) and another low on Fisher Peak at a spot called Wade's World (where Dave is standing). Photo: GNFAC

Both snowpit profiles are here.

Dave Zinn dug a pit near the top of Rasta Chute (SW aspect) near Lulu Pass and found 65 cm of snow. The layers were crusts and some facets and we determined the slope to be stable. You can look at the snowpit profile here. Photo: GNFAC

Strong winds found snow to transport on Saturday 11/23. Photo: B. VandenBos

From obs: "We took a tour up into the Maid today. A generally stable snowpack in the area, new snow seemed to bond well with the underneath crust layer. We did observe small pinwheels/rollers on steep pitches on southeast aspects, mostly due to the rocks heating up during the day. We also observed sluff buildup on aprons below the shadier and steep northern aspects." Photo: Tommy S.

"Lots of cracking up there this morning on fresh, mid elevation wind slabs"

Photo: B. Nobel

"While skinning up to the top of Powder Park lift at Bridger, we had roughly 15' cracks propagate on an E/SE aspect. A snowpit showed roughly 8" of wind slab above a few inches of facets, on top of last week's rain crust." November 11, 2019.

Photo: G. Lawrence

On November 8th, skiers found weak facets and surface hoar had formed during prior cold and dry weather. Keep an eye out for these weak layers if they get buried. Photo: B. VandenBos

On November 8th, skiers found weak facets and surface hoar had formed during prior cold and dry weather. Keep an eye out for these weak layers if they get buried. Photo: B. VandenBos

Wet loose avalanches at Bridger Bowl (observed on 11/5).

Photo: G. Antonioli

Wet loose avalanches at Bridger Bowl (observed on 11/5).

Photo: G. Antonioli

We found sensitive wind slabs near ridgelines on Mt. Blackmore and evidence of recent cross-loading. Photo: GNFAC

Gusty north wind and moderate snowfall created unstable drifts of snow at Bridger on Monday (10/28). Some slid naturally and some were easily triggered by skiers. Photo: P. Hinz

Small storm slabs triggered at Bridger on 10/26. From email: "slab formation appeared isolated to leeward sides of midslope terrain features and rollovers as well as at ridgetops". 

Photo: G. Antonioli

Large avalanche observed on 10/25 near Imp Peak in the Taylor Fork. Photo: B. VandenBos

Large avalanche observed on 10/25 near Imp Peak in the Taylor Fork. 

Photo: B. VandenBos

A local near Fairy Lake gets a taste of fresh October snow and wind. "You know it's somewhat windy when the goats start closing their eyes and their beards get blown sideways." Photo: B. VandenBos

Strong westerly wind scoured snow off high ridgelines and slopes in the northern Bridger Range on Friday (10/11). Photo: B. VandenBos

Dry loose snow avalanches were observed on 10/10 as the recent snow settled. From e-mail "...saw some small, solar-initiated, dry loose snow slides in steep, rocky terrain (heads up ice climbers). With a firm surface beneath the new snow, these little guys were picking up steam quickly." Photo: B. VandenBos

Avalanche debris on the saddle near Hyalite Peak. This is indicative of the type of heavily wind loaded terrain near ridgelines where avalanches are most likely this time of year. Photo: B. VandenBos

Broken off cornice on the saddle between Blackmore and Elephant on 10/5. "Snow was anywhere from inches deep with grass and rocks to hip deep. It was mostly knee deep though. Down in the flats below the bowl there was easily 8-10" fresh and another 2" on my way down..." Photo: @benjacobsenphoto

Ice Climbers on the Sphinx sent this photo from October 3, and noted,

"No snow hazard of much concern on the approach. However, a quick hasty pit in an isolated wind pocket revealed a CT1 on this layer.  ice axe is to the ground." Photo: S. Magro

Wind transport of snow on Gallatin Peak, October 2, 2019. Photo: B. VandenBos

MSU SAW is October 9th from 5-9pm in SUB Ballroom A. www.montana.edu/outdoorrecreation/SAW.html for more info.

The mountains got their first coat of snow at the end of September, though it isn't quite enough to protect you from hitting rocks. Where the snow is drifted provides the best coverage, but is also the most likely place to trigger a small slide. A small slide would be painful if it pushes you into the many exposed rocks. Photo: G. Antonioli

We hiked in to put up the Flanders weather station on 9/25 and found a spotty distribution of 4-6" of snow above 8,000'. Photo: GNFAC