Snow Observations List

GNFAC
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
Heavy snow creating dangerous conditions in Bridgers
Snow Obs contain video

At 6pm, 4.19.23, the Bridger Range has received 37" of new snow in the last 20 hrs (29" were measured at the top of Bridger when the snow board was cleared at 1pm, and 8.5" have fallen since) equal to 2.2" of snow water equivalent (measured at Alpine weather station).

I skied up and down under the Bridger lift between 10am and 2pm. The new snow slid easily on steep slopes, mostly dry loose avalanches, but by the afternoon these were entraining large, dangerous volumes of snow. Video is from this morning, small test slope at 6,300', north facing. Now there is a lot more snow, and much more at higher elevations. It snowed heavily all day. Wind was moderate on the ridge, calm with moderate gusts below the ridge, and moderate/gusty on the lower half of the mountain. 

Large avalanches of new snow will be easy to trigger for the next few days, and large natural avalanches are possible. Conditions will continue to become more dangerous if heavy snow continues.

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Anonymous
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
Bridger Bowl - The Apron
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

We observed a large slide at the Apron that was released from the Hidden Gully. In a whiteout, we couldn't tell the size, but it looked quite substantial. The slide didn't go all the way to the bottom.

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J. Curry
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
New snow at Bridger Bowl not bonding well
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

New snow is not bonding well to the old snow surface.  Sluffing and running far on steeper terrain.  Photo taken on First Finger. Heavy snowfall and wind.

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Anonymous
Cooke City
The Fin
The Fin 4/16

Had some loose wet slides on the fin today just after noon. Was about 3-6” deep at the new/old snow interface. Slide was slow moving but carried farther than we thought. 

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C.
Northern Madison
Beehive Basin
Beehive basin
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

Usual spring conditions. Out farming corn snow. Saw some activity from the warming sun.

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Anonymous
Southern Madison
Buck Ridge
Natural avalanche activity near Buck Ridge 4/15/23
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

Observed evidence of natural slide activity yesterday while snowmobiling Buck Ridge. First pics are on a northerly aspect off Sphinx near the wilderness boundary, second set of pics are south facing off Pioneer Mtn.

Approx coordinates of slide #1: 45.15872, -111.46923

Approx coordinates of slide #2: 45.22781, -111.46531

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T. S
Northern Madison
Deep Slab S Fork Hellroaring
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

Was able to spot a deep slab avalanche from Gallatin peak, slab was at the headwaters of S Fork Hellroaring (N aspect @ 9800) Hard to tell when this released as it was a few miles away, I would estimate the crown being around 10 feet. Observed a small storm slab on a north aspect as well (1-2 foot crown). Also saw a few dozen wet slides that released earlier this week, some tearing all the way to the ground. 

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C. Hockett
Out of Advisory Area
Crazy Peak
Dry loose avalanche in Crazies

This afternoon my group triggered a dry-loose avalanche on the north face of Big Timber Peak in the Crazies. The slide was about 12 inches deep, 50 feet wide, and ran about 1,000 vertical feet. Thankfully, no one was injured. We didn’t officially measure the slope angle but we’re estimating it to be in the 38-degree zone—prime avalanche territory. The slide consisted of new snow that fell during this recent storm. It hadn’t bonded to the thick crust underneath and released during the second skier’s run.

 

 

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W. Hubbard
Out of Advisory Area
Tobacco Root Mountains
Spooky Snowpack in the Western T-Roots

While skinning into Big Bear gulch, off Wisconsin creek, we encountered a couple of small whumphs in a flat meadow below treeline. We also encountered one instance of localized cracking within the trees, near the hollow created by a dead tree. At the top of the ridgeline there were small cornices, and we noticed significant wind loading higher up on Old Baldy mountain.

In our east facing pit, just below the Little Bear ridgeline, we found a large melt freeze crust complex near the surface, interspersed with layers of much softer snow and NSF. Below the stout crust layers, the snowpack drastically reduced in hardness, with fist hardness facets near 50cm from the ground. We had moderate CT results (CT 12 Q2 @140cm) within the crust complex, and more difficult CT results (CT 23 Q2 @30cm) within a layer of large (3mm) striated depth hoar near the ground. Our ECT test resulted in an ECTX, possibly indicating the strength of the crusts, which neither skis nor boots would penetrate through. Our ECT column did pull out of the wall as a cohesive block when we applied shear from behind. Our pit profile was submitted through Snowpilot.

Based on these observations, and the warming we believed would occur later in the day, we decided to not ski off of Old Baldy mountain, and rather took some laps at a nearby low-angle meadow. 

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Anonymous
Northern Madison
Beehive Basin
Wet slide action
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

Pretty much the entire wall skiers right of the prayer flags back into beehive slid. Wet slide. Multiple crown lines and long running. 

 

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@waxeman
Island Park
CENTENNIAL RANGE
Huge Wet Slide Centennials
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

Photo from IG 4/13/23: @waxeman

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Alexey
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
small storm slab inbounds at Bridger
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

Small storm slab off the steep drift on skier's R/skinner's L side of upper Thunder Road. Also felt some cracking and collapsing when I (briefly) stepped off the skin track to get to the top of Pierre's Knob. 

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Anonymous
Bridger Range
Bridger Peak
Bridger Bowl Touring
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

skinned up to the ridge and observed 5-9 inches of new and accumulating snow forming into wind drifts that were highly reactive. Multiple remote triggers occurred while traveling N on the ridge, propagating  both on W and E faces of the ridge. Both Hidden and Northwest Passage slid with little effort down to an icy bed surface. Debris at bottom of hidden was substantial but great skiing. 

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BBSP
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
Natural wet slide, Close Call/slushman ravine
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

Pics below of a natural wet slide that came out of Close Call yesterday afternoon (4/11/23), debris ran to the bottom of moonshine.

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BBSP
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
Natural wet slides in Bridger Range
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

From 4/11/23: Yesterday (4/10) Colters released a wet slide (approx 1-3pm) that filled the top of the wiggle and left debris 300ft past the south bowl traverse.

Today Stupor had a similar sized release just after noon.

The best noted natural release was a wet slab release on the southern edge of the football field that put a pile of debris below the cave.

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Anonymous
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
Wet Slides running far into North Bowl at Bridger
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

Although I only photographed North Bowl slides that ran very far, most of the chutes showed signs of wet slides running from the ridge. These were both in the bowl next to PK and north bowl.

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BSSP
Northern Madison
Big Sky Resort
Natural full depth wet slide in closed terrain at Big Sky
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

From Big Sky Ski Patrol: "Temps remained a little cooler than yesterday and generally topped out in the mid 40’s F. That didn’t stop the free water from moving
and continuing to destabilize the snowpack, primarily on solar aspects below 10,000’. Near full depth to full depth wet loose avalanches continued to naturally release in what was left of the A-Z’s as well as LRT which had not seen any activity yesterday."

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GNFAC
Cooke City
COOKE CITY
wet snow avalanches, warming snowpack near Cooke
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

We rode up to Lulu pass, around the back of Fisher Mtn, behind Crown Butte and out Miller Creek south of Crown Butte/Daisy Pass. The upper snowpack was wet, but supportable. We dug down about 3 feet in a meadow in Miller Creek. HS 255cm. The snowpack was wet in the top 20 cm. -1.5degree C down 20cm and -3C down 60 cm. Still dry 40 cm below surface.

Wind was strong out of the southwest. Skies became mostly cloudy around midday, but seemed to clear slightly in the afternoon. Temperatures in the high 30s to mid-40sF.

There were maybe 6-10 D1.5-D2 wet loose slides scattered around the area that we could see, similar to attached picture of Crown Butte (We could see Miller Mtn. east and north, Scotch Bonnet, Henderson, Crown Butte, Abundance, Wolverine). At lower elevations where the snowpack is shallower, closer to silver gate and the northeast corner of the park, there were some deeper wet loose slides (D2) and a couple small wet slabs (photo). I would estimate most of these happened yesterday (4/10). Today, a D1.5 wet slide buried one lane of road in YNP on a steep, treed ENE facing slope at 6900'.

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A. Mulkey
Cooke City
COOKE CITY
Cornice Fall and wet loose avalanches
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

From IG: “Couple shots from today In the cooke area.”

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GNFAC
Bridger Range
BRIDGER RANGE
Natural wet loose in Bridgers

Drove Bridger Canyon to Seitz road around 5pm on 4/10. Saw 4-5 D2 wet loose, plus many D1 wet loose. No huge slides or widespread large wet activity, yet.

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