18-19

<p>The Lionhead area, southern Madison and southern Gallatin Ranges, got slammed with snow and wind. There is an AVALANCHE WARNING in these mountains. 1-1.5 feet of new snow is a conservative estimate (1-1.3” of <a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/or/snow/?cid=nrcs142p2… water equivalent</a>) and more is expected today. There will be avalanches in the new snow, wind-loaded or not. Avalanches may break near the ground where weak, sugary facets are unable to support this load. Yesterday, Eric was in Cabin Creek in the middle of the storm and noted the avalanche danger was rising quickly (<strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoXitoUtXfo&amp;index=2&amp;t=0s&amp;li…;). &nbsp;It snowed 1” an hour for 12 hours, a fast rate which adds to the instability. The avalanche warning is not to be trifled with. People die in these conditions. Avalanches will be wide and deep. Stay away from runout zones. For today, the avalanche danger is rated HIGH on all slopes.</p>

<p>Over a foot of snow (1” <a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/or/snow/?cid=nrcs142p2…;) fell outside Cooke City yesterday. Westerly winds are strong and &nbsp;gusting into the 40s. More snow is expected this afternoon and tonight. New snow and wind drifted snow has elevated the avalanche danger. There will be a few natural slides on wind-loaded slopes but most importantly, you are likely to trigger avalanches in the new and windblown snow. Today is a day to notch back ambitions and stay clear of avalanche terrain. Avalanches may break deeper on mid-pack layers or on facets near the ground in shallow areas. There’s no telling where it might break, and really, it’s moot. People die in both small and big avalanches and today you could trigger both. The avalanche danger is rated CONSIDERABLE on all slopes. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The mountains around Bozeman and Big Sky got 2-3” of snow last night with westerly winds blowing 15-30 mph. Yesterday, I skied to Mt. Ellis which has some of the weakest snow in the northern ranges. My partners and I wanted to investigate how it would handle more snowfall. We dug two snowpits and were surprised at the improved stability from 2 weeks ago (<strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuXLoZvikoM&amp;t=0s&amp;index=3&amp;li…;). Our tests were not propagating and last night’s snow will not makes things worse on non-wind loaded slopes. However, strong ridgetop winds created 6-12” thick wind slabs that could be triggered. Shooting cracks in wind drifts are a sign to stay off the slope. For today, the avalanche danger is rated MODERATE on slopes that are wind-loaded and LOW elsewhere.</p>