small D1 avalanche on south-eastern aspect around 7800ft. Looks like solar released on older layer a day or two ago.
While touring above the canyon this morning, i noticed a very recent wet slide (would guess this incident occurred yesterday afternoon, March 4th). This was a skier triggered slide on a E aspect at an elevation of 7200. This slide was roughly 50 feet wide and ran about 50 feet, I estimated this crown to be 2-3 feet deep, slid all the way to the ground. This occurred below a steep roller.
Observed 3/4/21 just west of Cooke City. SE aspect, 9300' elev. Looks to have ran in the last 48 hours. Photo: B. Fredlund
<p>It will certainly feel like spring today, with sunny skies and temperatures rising a couple degrees higher than yesterday, but for the lower snowpack it is still solidly winter. The weak layers at the ground remain our primary concern. This week’s dry spell has given these layers a break from loading and the chance of triggering a slide is slowly decreasing. The problem is that while the likelihood is going down, the consequences of triggering a slide stay high and avalanches on this sort of weak layer (depth hoar) are sometimes triggered days after they’ve last been loaded (<a href="https://youtu.be/sEjcbv4AWYQ"><strong><u>Low Probability, High Consequences video</u></strong></a>). If an avalanche breaks, it will likely break deeply, taking out the whole season’s snowpack in a large and dangerous slide. The human triggered slides in Red Canyon and Buck Ridge last weekend provide good examples of this concern (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/24472"><strong><u>Red Canyon video</u></strong></a>,<strong> </strong><a href="https://youtu.be/8JxETara_7o"><strong><u>Buck Ridge video</u></strong></a>). Stay diligent and remain conservative in your terrain choices.</p>
<p>The snow surface is likely to get a little bit wet this afternoon, especially on sunny slopes at lower elevations. Small, loose wet avalanches could release naturally or be triggered by a skier or rider. Watch for crusts breaking down and places where the snow surface is getting wet for the first time. These slides are unlikely to be large but are still worth your consideration as the day heats up.</p>
<p>From Bozeman to Big Sky and south to West Yellowstone, the avalanche danger is MODERATE.</p>
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<p>The snowpack around Cooke City is mostly stable because it lacks widespread weak layers. However, yesterday, a recent avalanche that broke 3-4 ft deep on weak layers at the ground was seen just west of Cooke City, outside of our advisory area, in the generally shallower snowpack of Yellowstone National Park (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/24530"><strong><u>details</u></strong>…;). This is a good reminder to remain diligent in case you find one of those isolated slopes that harbors weak snow at the ground. Also keep an eye out for pockets of unstable wind drifts or particularly warm and sunny slopes where you could trigger a small wet loose slide. Large avalanches are unlikely and the avalanche danger is LOW in the mountains near Cooke City. </p>
<p>If you get out, please send us your observations no matter how brief. You can submit them via our <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/add/snow_observation"><strong><u>websi…;, email (<a href="mailto:mtavalanche@gmail.com"><strong><u>mtavalanche@gmail.com</u></str…;), phone (406-587-6984), or Instagram (#gnfacobs).</p>
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The Friends of the Avalanche Center in partnership with the City of Bozeman put in a Beacon Park at Beall Park. It is located on the north side of the Beall building between N. Bozeman Ave. and the ice rink. Stop by with your
Avalanche observed just west of Cooke City, outside our advisory area, in Yellowstone National Park on 3/4/2021.
From email: "a fresh, slab avalanche across the valley late this afternoon... I think it is fresh from the last 48 hours if not from today. It was on a SE aspect, around 9300'. By the time I noticed it the light was off the slope, but I could tell that the flank was deep, and that the avalanche probably ran on facets/ depth hoar near the ground. It looked to be a couple hundred feet wide, and at least 3-4' deep."
Seen with binoculars from ennis
While on a tour looking at conditions in Beehive, I noticed several old slides on the E/NE ridge. I estimated all of them to be around 1 foot, and likely skid during the recent wind storm as they were already covered up. I noticed 5+ of these similar slide from the lake.
