Trip Planning for Bridgers

as of 5:00 am
Mar 163″ | 15-45 W
Mar 15 1″ | 8-20 W
Mar 14 7″ | 15-35 W
8100′     03/16 at 23:00
29℉
0″New
8500′     03/16 at 23:00
26℉
W - 19mph
Gusts 49 mph
Primary Problem: Wind Slab
Bottom Line: Strong wind today will create fresh slabs that are easy to trigger, making human-triggered wind slab avalanches likely. On non-wind-loaded slopes loose snow avalanches are possible and can run long distances on the crust below the recent snow. Be cautious and avoid wind-loaded slopes today. Watch for a textured or pillowy snow surface, or cracking out from your feet or skis as signs of wind-loading.

Past 5 Days

Wed Mar 12

Low
Thu Mar 13

Moderate
Fri Mar 14

Moderate
Sat Mar 15

Moderate
Sun Mar 16

Considerable

Relevant Avalanche Activity

Bridger Range
BRIDGER RANGE
Isolated Wind Slabs in S. Bridger Range
Incident details include images
BRIDGER RANGE
SS-AS-R1-D1-I
Coordinates: 45.8512, -110.9480
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0

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


More Avalanche Details
Bridger Range
Frazier Basin
Wind Slabs in Frazier Basin
Incident details include images
Frazier Basin
N-R1
Coordinates: 45.9233, -110.9800
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0

From obs: 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). 


More Avalanche Details
Bridger Range
Frazier Basin
Skier triggered Wind Slab Avalanches in Frazier Basin
Incident details include images
Frazier Basin
SS-AS-R2-D1.5-S
Elevation: 7,500
Aspect: NE
Coordinates: 45.9278, -110.9620
Caught: 1 ; Buried: 0

From obs: "Skier triggered wind slab on Northeast slope at 7,450 feet elevation. One skier was caught and carried roughly 10 feet before the slide came to a stop."

We also received reports from another group (IG story video) that triggered a couple similar sized wind slab avalanches in north facing chutes in Frazier Basin.

 


More Avalanche Details

Relevant Photos

Displaying 1 - 40
  • Isolated wind slabs today in the southern Bridgers. Photo: E. Selinger

  • 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). 

  • Mountain goat hanging out in Wolverine Bowl

  • Skier triggered wind slab on Northeast slope at 7,450 feet elevation. One skier was caught and carried roughly 10 feet before the slide came to a stop.

  • Skier triggered wind slab on Northeast slope at 7,450 feet elevation. One skier was caught and carried roughly 10 feet before the slide came to a stop.

  • Skier triggered wind slab on Northeast slope at 7,450 feet elevation. One skier was caught and carried roughly 10 feet before the slide came to a stop.

  • Mar 7 obs: "...There was 6" of low density snow from yesterday. Winds were stronger than expected, from the north at the top of the Throne, and increased through the morning.... We found fresh drifts that were reactive, cracking easily and 5-10' wide out from our skis, on south and east facing slopes around 8000-8300'." Photo: GNFAC

  • Mar 7 obs: "...There was 6" of low density snow from yesterday. Winds were stronger than expected, from the north at the top of the Throne, and increased through the morning.... We found fresh drifts that were reactive, cracking easily and 5-10' wide out from our skis, on south and east facing slopes around 8000-8300'." Photo: GNFAC

  • Mar 7 obs: "...There was 6" of low density snow from yesterday. Winds were stronger than expected, from the north at the top of the Throne, and increased through the morning.... We found fresh drifts that were reactive, cracking easily and 5-10' wide out from our skis, on south and east facing slopes around 8000-8300'." Photo: GNFAC

  • Mar 7 obs: "There was 6" of low density snow from yesterday.... The new snow was low density and sluffed easily on steep shady northerlies. On steep slopes facing the sun (south and east, and probably west) the new snow sat on a crust and became moist as the sun warmed it up and started to slide under skis. We saw a couple very small natural loose snow slides below rock outcrops on south facing slopes. Air temperatures were well below freezing, especially with wind chill, but the sun quickly warmed the recent new snow." Photo: GNFAC

  • From obs on 3/4/25:

    "Saw a few sluffs in the new snow triggered by skiers in the very steep terrain just north of the Bridger Bowl ski area boundary (see photo). These sluffs were small, definitely not large enough to bury someone."

  • Observed multiple wet loose slides naturally triggering and running on south facing slopes beyond bradleys and on the south facing aspects of hourglass chute.

  • Observed multiple wet loose slides naturally triggering and running on south facing slopes beyond bradleys and on the south facing aspects of hourglass chute. Photo: T McGarry

  • From obs.: "Saw a recent cornice triggered wind slab off of Hardscrabble Peak, crown looked fairly fresh. There was a second crown line below the rock band. Conditions were very windy, with snow still being transported. Most snow surfaces were wind affected, but saw no cracking or collapsing." Photo: F. Miller

  • Skiers triggered a medium sized cornice fall that triggered a dry loose (sluff) avalanche that created large powder cloud.

  • Toured out to Frazier Basin and turned around seeing widespread avalanches and active wind loading. Despite our pits on the Throne the day before showing no weak layers, the amount of wind loading and potential for slabs over density changes gave us pause. Good skiing and sledding down low.

  • Toured out to Frazier Basin and turned around seeing widespread avalanches and active wind loading. Despite our pits on the Throne the day before showing no weak layers, the amount of wind loading and potential for slabs over density changes gave us pause. Good skiing and sledding down low.

  • Cornice broke in between north and south saddle peaks.  The initial propagation width was hard to distinguish.  Maybe 50 feet.  About 18 inches deep at height of crown.  Photo: Anonymous

     

  • Skiers saw three natural slides south of the throne today. All east facing. Photo: I Freeland

  • Skiers saw three natural slides south of the throne today. All east facing. Photo: I Freeland

  • Skiers saw three natural slides south of the throne today. All east facing. Photo: I Freeland

  • On a cold day we rode to Frazier Basin and quickly answered the question, “Are wind slab avalanches still possible or have they stabilized?” We saw a natural avalanche (R2, D1.5) that released on a steep headwall just to the south (I believe I’ve heard this referred to as October Bowl). Photo: GNFAC

  • Feb 7 We saw a couple storm slabs that broke in today's snow 4-6" deep, 10-30' wide, and we triggered one 3-4" deep wind slab, "remotely", from a few feet back on a small ridgeline. R2-D1. These slabs were very soft, F- to F hard. Photo: GNFAC

  • Feb 7 We saw a couple storm slabs that broke in today's snow 4-6" deep, 10-30' wide, and we triggered one 3-4" deep wind slab, "remotely", from a few feet back on a small ridgeline. R2-D1. These slabs were very soft, F- to F hard. Photo: GNFAC

     

  • 200ft wide and rather shallow, did not manage to run fully into the apron. 

  • This was a small remote trigger next to the skin track, about 20 feet wide by 10 feet long.  Photo: K Gordon

  • Remote trigger, SE facing slope, ~100' crown, ~3" depth.  Photo: M Gillies

  • Skier triggered wind slab avalanche on Saddle Peak. Photo: BBSP

  • In the Playground area of the Bridger Range, strong winds rapidly built wind slabs up to 25 cm deep around treeline. Skiers experienced a few cracks in this wind slab, propagating 2 or 3 meters from our ski tips. Photo: N. deLeeuw

  • Skiers triggered a small wind slab avalanche while skinning near the top of Pair Of Chutes in the Playground. The slab was about 1 foot thick, fist hardness, propagated 20 feet wide and ran 50 feet before breaking up and arresting. Photo: J. Taylor

  • Winds have worked over many slopes near the Throne. We found some slopes stripped nearly to dirt with the snow blown off to who knows where, and others had wind-sculpted sastrugi. Trees were broken off, and debris littered the snow surface. Photo: GNFAC

  • We triggered a small soft slab avalanche on a south facing aspect around 7800'. This avalanche broke in a wind drift, 4" deep in low density new snow, likely on a sun crust or near-surface facets. Photo: GNFAC

  • We triggered a small soft slab avalanche on a south facing aspect around 7800'. This avalanche broke in a wind drift, 4" deep in low density new snow, likely on a sun crust or near-surface facets. Photo: GNFAC

     

  • Strong winds transporting snow on Saddle Peak. Photo: BBSP 

  • Recent natural avalanche: on an easterly aspect around 9200', on Hardscrabble Peak in the northern Bridgers. Photo: B Fredlund 

  • On 01/08 my partner and I skied into Frazier basin in the northern Bridgers, we skied the love chutes east down and overall the descent was pretty wind hammered from a downward wind. Once at the lake we took the Frazier return route where we found much better ski conditions in the corridor and decided to lap some of the features. We ended up triggering a small wind slab at around 8k on a NE aspect that broke about a foot deep and ran about 25 yards. Very dense wind slabs were forming on a lot of the aspects getting out of Frazier and we opted to not test our luck any further for the day. 
     

    Photo: T. Johns

  • On 01/08 my partner and I skied into Frazier basin in the northern Bridgers, we skied the love chutes east down and overall the descent was pretty wind hammered from a downward wind. Once at the lake we took the Frazier return route where we found much better ski conditions in the corridor and decided to lap some of the features. We ended up triggering a small wind slab at around 8k on a NE aspect that broke about a foot deep and ran about 25 yards. Very dense wind slabs were forming on a lot of the aspects getting out of Frazier and we opted to not test our luck any further for the day. 
     

    Photo: T. Johns

  • On 01/08 my partner and I skied into Frazier basin in the northern Bridgers, we skied the love chutes east down and overall the descent was pretty wind hammered from a downward wind. Once at the lake we took the Frazier return route where we found much better ski conditions in the corridor and decided to lap some of the features. We ended up triggering a small wind slab at around 8k on a NE aspect that broke about a foot deep and ran about 25 yards. Very dense wind slabs were forming on a lot of the aspects getting out of Frazier and we opted to not test our luck any further for the day. 

    Photo: T. Johns

  • Wind slab around 3-12" deep. NE aspect at 8,000 feet. Occurred sometime on January 8th.

  • A skier intentionally triggered an avalanche in Argentina bowl below south Saddle Peak. The avalanche broke 2 feet deep and ran 1000–2000 vertical feet piling debris 20 feet deep in the run out zone and breaking trees. Photo: anonymous

Videos- Bridgers

WebCams


Bridger Base Area

Ridge, Looking North

Alpine Apron

Snowpit Profiles- Bridgers

 

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Weather Forecast Bridgers

Extended Forecast for

10 Miles NNE Bozeman MT

Winter Weather Advisory March 17, 12:16am until March 17, 06:00amClick here for hazard details and duration Winter Weather Advisory
  •   Winter Weather Advisory March 17, 12:16am until March 17, 06:00am

    NOW until 6:00am Mon

    Winter Weather Advisory

  • Overnight

    Low: 27 °F

    Heavy Snow
    and Patchy
    Blowing Snow

  • Monday

    Monday: Snow likely, mainly before noon.  Patchy blowing snow before 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. West wind 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.  Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

    High: 34 °F

    Snow Likely
    and Patchy
    Blowing Snow

  • Monday Night

    Monday Night: Snow likely.  Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. North northwest wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.  Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

    Low: 22 °F

    Snow Likely

  • Tuesday

    Tuesday: Snow likely, mainly after noon.  Mostly cloudy, with a high near 28. Northwest wind 11 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.  Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

    High: 28 °F

    Chance Snow
    then Snow
    Likely

  • Tuesday Night

    Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 15. Northwest wind 10 to 20 mph becoming west southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph.

    Low: 15 °F

    Partly Cloudy

  • Wednesday

    Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 34. Southwest wind 11 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

    High: 34 °F

    Sunny

  • Wednesday Night

    Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. South wind 16 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.

    Low: 23 °F

    Mostly Cloudy

  • Thursday

    Thursday: Snow likely, mainly after noon.  Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. South wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.

    High: 35 °F

    Snow Likely

The Last Word

03 / 15 / 25  <<  
 
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