Cooke City

From obs: "I’ve been skiing the Erma Road recently. Good conditions for a quick ski up the road by but it’s thin off the road. The 616 trail is too treacherous for my comfort zone. I think the Republic Creek alpine valley must be skiable though. Quick observation:a sun crust formed in the open areas on the road and on adjacent areas."

Snow profile at head of Black Canyon

Early season conditions. At 8000' just below the Sacajawea trail bowl, there is about 9" of snow. In the trail bowl, winds moved that snow around and there is nice firm, supportable (ie - not hitting rocks) snow. 
 

Warm weather really settled the snow and it became damp today on many sun exposed slopes. It stayed dry and cold on high north. 
 

Overall, the things seem quite stable, even though there may be a wind slab or two that could still avalanche. 
 

Snowpit at Bridger Bowl on 11/5. Photo: B. VandenBos

Drove up Lulu Pass road 1/4 mile from hwy 212. There was 7-8" of snow that fell since November 1 on previously snow-free southerly facing meadows around 8,100'. 

From e-mail: "Photo attached from near top of hyalite peak, 11/2. Cracking in recent hard wind slab, I had to really jump hard to make this. Walked on many other hard slabs that were well bonded. Highly variable snowpack. I think you'd be most likely to get into trouble by popping out a small hard slab pocket like this and getting magic carpeted into some thinly covered terrain." Photo: B. VandenBos

From e-mail: "Photo attached from near top of hyalite peak yesterday eve , 11/2. Cracking in recent hard wind slab, I had to really jump hard to make this. Walked on many other hard slabs that were well bonded. Highly variable snowpack. I think you'd be most likely to get into trouble by popping out a small hard slab pocket like this and getting magic carpeted into some thinly covered terrain."