Photos

 A large natural slide occurred on Saddle Peak Saturday night (2-25).  This slide propagated across the ridge that many consider to be the safest route down.  Photo: R. Elliott

Saddle Peak slid naturally sometime before sunrise today (Feb 26). Photo: K. Birkeland

When the avalanche broke in Wolverine, other slopes adjacent to it fractured as well.  This one was about 100ft South of the main fracture.  Photo: S. Schmidt

Crown face of the avalanche in Wolverine Bowl. Photo: S. Schmidt

This slide occurred in Wolverine Bowl north of Bridger Bowl.  It was a natural avalanche sometime before dawn on 24 Feb and broke on facets near the ground.  Heavy snow and strong winds have put a tremendous amount of stress on a very weak snowpack producing natural and human triggered avalanches in the Bridger Range.  Photo Graham Turnage  

This is the view of the south summit of Saddle Peak.  The skier was flushed doen the left hand gully.  She sustained a broken arm and leg injuries and was only partially buried. Photo: T. Thesing

 The skier who took a ride off the south peak of Saddle  fortunately ended up on the surface.  She was injured and rescued by a search and rescue helicopter.  Photo Todd Thesing 

 The skier who triggered this slide took the ride of a lifetime - nearly 1,500 vertical feet.  Fortunately they escaped with non life threatening injuries.  The slide was triggered near the ridgeline and the skier came to rest near where this photo was taken.  Photo GNFAC  

Heavy snow and strong winds over the past few days have created dangerous avalanche conditions in the Brdiger Range. The second skier on this slope triggered the slide.  The avalanche failed on facets near the ground and ran nearly 2000 vertical feet.  Photo GNFAC   

This avalanche was intentionally triggered by a skier (not the photograher) on the west side of the Bridger Range opposite to Bridger Bowl in an area known as St. Lawrence which is part of Truman Gulch. Photo: P. Clayton

This avalanche happened sometime on Feb. 24 just south of Hardscrabble Peak.  Many other avalanches were seen, but many had been filled in by yesterday's snow and recent winds.  Photo: GNFAC

Photo: S. Schmidt

This avalanche was skier triggered.  The black line indicates where it broke.  The red line is incorrect: she came down the next gully to the left.  Photo: GNFAC

This natural avalanche occurred just above the summer trailhead for Sacajawea Peak in the norther Bridger Range.  Photo: D. Pogge

 8 inches of new snow was producing soft slab avalanches in the Bridger Ragne.  This slide occurred in the ski area and was likely caused by control work.  Photo GNFAC

Heavy wind loading was observed on Saddle Peak in the Bridger Range today.  The skiers who took this photo "experienced" many small slab avalanches.  Photo: D. Hebert

This image shows snow water equivalent for the current year (black ), the 30 year average (dashed line) and previous years.  According to the green line for 2007, the snowpack nearly doubled from early Feb to early March.  According to the brown line for 2001, the snowpack increased by 50% starting in late March.  Source: L. Zukiewicz, NRCS

New snow and strong winds produced a thick slab resting over facets.  Although it took some force for the ECT to propagate, we did not trust the structure.  Photo: GNFAC

 These slides werer triggered by explosives during control work on Thusday.  A weak snowpack structure in the Bridger Range is continuing to produce obvious signs of instability.  Photo: Alex Marienthal

The snowpack in the Bridger Range has a slab of new snow resting on very weak facets.  Despite recent warm weather, conditions remain unstable.  It can take a very long time for facets and depth hoar to finally heal.  Unfortunately it might take most of the season.  Photo: GNFAC