Photos

Weak facets buried mid pack continue to produce unstable results in stability tests around Lionhead. With more snow and wind in the forecast, this area will likely see more avalanches. Photo: GNFAC 

Ace Powder Guides found the layer of facets is getting stronger compared to last week, but slowly. They were riding around Middle and Upper Teepee Creek and did three Extended Column Tests and got ECTP 13, 15, 15 which indicates instability. Photo: B. Radecky

Fresh pinwheels indicate the snow surface is moist and larger, wet loose slides will be possible on steep slopes. Photo: S. Magro

Wet loose avalanche in Hyalite that occurred during above freezing temperatures. Photo: S. Magro

This slide occurred on the south face of Crown Butte outside of Cooke City. It was triggered by snowmobiler who fortunately was not caught. Large, dangerous avalanches remain possible in the mountains around Cooke City. Photo: B. Fredlund 

A snowmobiler triggered this slide around 10 am on Wednesday morning. The slide occurred on the south face of Crown Butte outside of Cooke City. Fortunately the rider who triggered the slide was not caught. The slope was heavily wind loaded and the slide failed on a layer of facets near the ground. It's still very possible to trigger large and dangerous avalanches around Cooke City. Photo: GNFAC 

This is the head of Cabin Creek with Sage Peak in the background. Photo: GNFAC

A close-up shot of the crown and the debris. Photo: GNFAC

The crown was a 2-4 feet deep hard slab and 300 feet wide. Photo: GNFAC

The crown is visible at the top of the slope. The rider was carried 25 feet and buried under his snowmobile, 3 feet from the surface. Photo: GNFAC

The slide ran 600 feet slope distance and was 36-40 degree steep. Photo: GNFAC

The group triggered this small slide (10' wide) on a nearby hill. They recognized it as a sign of instability and decided to not highmark or play on big slopes. They made many correct decisions, but were unlucky. Photo: GNFAC

Alex Marienthal stands near the 2-4 foot thick crown. The bed surface was an icy mass on the ground. Photo: GNFAC

A snowmobile set off a huge avalanche up Mill Creek in the Tobacco Root Mtns. Slid on a weak layer near the ground surface. Photo: C. Atkinson

A snowmobile set off a huge avalanche up Mill Creek in the Tobacco Root Mtns. Slid on a weak layer near the ground surface. Photo: C. Atkinson

From an email of the two who were caught in the slide:

We I left around 10:30 for a nice day of skiing at Bridger. Today had been our first day off from work at The Yellowstone Club in almost a month—we are both ski instructors. We lapped Slashmans 3 or 4 times (staying near the lift and feeling out the snow conditions) before deciding to leave the ski area boundary and observe conditions above and below the football field. We found some nice turns through the trees parallel to the football field and stopped to rest below the cliff faces near the cave. We rested for a moment and I asked my partner what he thought of the snow conditions.
        “a little firm but seems stable to me” he said. I started to stick my pole into the snow pointlessly and in that very moment heard the rumble. My heart sank and I knew that was not a sound I wanted to be hearing. I looked at him and then up and saw a wall of snow shoot over the edge of the cliff. I barely had time to yell obscenities and attempt to ski away before my body was pounded with chunks of snow sending me into a tumble of grey and white. I felt as if I was in a washing machine. My mouth filled with snow making it difficult to breath and attempted to spit it out, I was still tumbling. It seemed like an eternity but must have only been 10 or 15 seconds. The snow began to clear around me and I was completely disoriented. My eyes met with a figure, it was my friend. When I realized that we were both alright I felt a feeling of elation and confusion beyond compare. We had both been buried waist deep. I wiggled my way out and ran to him. I asked if he was alright and hugged him. Some others skiers saw us and the debris and came to assist us. My friend lost a ski pole but we found both of our skis. We must have slid around 150 feet. After telling patrol we went home and Slushmans was closed off for the day. We really were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ski patrol claimed it to be a natural slide. We are both extremely grateful to be alive.

Google Earth view of Warm Creek Avalanche.  Map shows approximate area of avalanche which caught two skiers and partially buried one.

From e-mail: "On 12/29 we parked about 2 miles west of Silvergate and skied a mile west on the road and turned north to the ridge just NE of Baronette pk. We were aware of high avalanche danger but somehow got complacent on our surroundings and ended up getting caught in this slide. The crown was 2-3 feet high and propagated well into the timber on the "Thanksgiving crust" 

The slope angle was 33-36 degrees. We were traversing just below a cliff band when it broke taking both of us over a small ledge.  I hung on to a aspen tree for awhile before getting pushed into a spruce tree and hung up.  My partner hit several trees and was carried down 150-200 feet and partly buried but could get himself out.  We both were scratched up a bit but skied out."

The slide broke 2-3' deep and 200' wide on a south facing slope around 8,500'.  Photo: Anon

Warm Creek Avalanche crown near Cooke City. 2 skiers were caught while traversing, and one was partially buried. 

From e-mail: "On 12/29 we parked about 2 miles west of Silvergate and skied a mile west on the road and turned north to the ridge just NE of Baronette pk.  We were aware of high avalanche danger but somehow got complacent on our surroundings and ended up getting caught in this slide. The crown was 2-3 feet high and propagated well into the timber on the "Thanksgiving crust" 

The slope angle was 33-36 degrees. We were traversing just below a cliff band when it broke taking both of us over a small ledge.  I hung on to a aspen tree for awhile before getting pushed into a spruce tree and hung up.  My partner hit several trees and was carried down 150-200 feet and partly buried but could get himself out.  We both were scratched up a bit but skied out."

The avalanche occurred on  a south facing slope around 8,500'. Photo: Anon

The north face of Cedar Mountain avalanched full depth sometime on Jan 1 or morning of January 2. This slope is called "Dirty Bowl" and it appears an impact crater (rockfall, cornice fall) may have triggered the slide. Photo: C. Connor

Two skiers were caught and partially buried in a avalanche below the cliffs of saddle peak on 1/2/2018. They were traveling under the cliffs after leaving the south boundary and had stopped to look at the cave. They heard a rumble from above, saw snow coming over the cliffs, looked at one another and started skiing downhill as fast as they could. They were overtook by snow coming off the cliffs and one, possibly both were buried up to their waist.  After self extricating and retrieving gear, they were able to ski to the bottom of the Slushmans lift and report. Ski patrol and Search and Rescue made sure no one else was buried in the slide.

The slide was apparently triggered above the cliffs by a snowboarder cutting across a small wind loaded pocket (black circle in photo). The fracture was at most 20" deep and 60' across.

Strong downslope and south winds transporting recent new snow was the predominant weather creating small to medium sized wind slabs mid slope across the greater Bridger Bowl region the previous night and morning.