Bridger Range

Nature or cornice triggered slides in Arrowhead and Hardscrabble Bowls. Photo: I Freeland

From IG: Nature or cornice triggered slides in Arrowhead and Hardscrabble Bowls.

Isolated wind slabs today in the southern Bridgers. Photo: E. Selinger

From email: Isolated wind slabs today in the southern Bridgers.

Toured into Margaret's Meadow this afternoon. 2" of dense snow over a 1/2 of graupel, on top of a wind crust. Light winds from the SSE. Light wind loading on the N, and NE aspects. No cracking or collapsing, and new snow seems to be bonding (at leas on lesser angled slopes). Skiing conditions were  surprisingly good.

Mar 15 Winds in the Frazier Basin zone were stronger than expected with moderate to strong gusts at the ridge, increasing through the day. We noticed two large windslab pockets that had released since yesterday’s snow. One at the base of Hardscrabble Peak on a N aspect, the other in one of the SE facing gullies that access the Peak 9299/Hollywood Headwall ridge (see photo). 

We traversed the ridge south from the Bridger Bowl ski area boundary to Bridger Peak, descended a NE aspect and skinned/traversed back to the ski area boundary. Moderate west winds weren't transporting a significant amount of snow (much of the west side of the ridge was already scoured bare and the remaining snow was already hardened). The sun and clouds were in and out through the day and there were even a few snow flurries, but no accumulation.

Wind Slab avalanches were our primary concern today, but we did not see any as we traversed the ridge and the new snow we encountered was not cohesive.

Dry Loose avalanches (sluffs) ended up being the biggest hazard we encountered. The new snow (approximately 8") was easily sluffing over last weeks crust and was entraining significant volume and running far in steep terrain. It had plenty of power to knock you over or into trees/rocks. 

We saw no slab avalanches or signs of instability.