From some skiers: "We encountered veey localized loading that easily fractured and propagated uphill on a south aspect." Photo: S. Reinsel
From some skiers: "We encountered veey localized loading that easily fractured and propagated uphill on a south aspect." Photo: S. Reinsel
A skier writes, "Lots of blowing snow with multiple natural avalanches occurring during the morning."
This picture is from Divide Basin in Hyalite Canyon. A skier writes, "Lots of blowing snow with multiple natural avalanches occurring during the morning." Photo: S. Wilson
15-30 mph westerly winds were blowing snow up Hyalite and among the other ranges. Photo: S. Wilson
<p>Three inches of new snow and westerly winds in Lionhead will keep the potential for avalanches alive. Alex visited this area a week ago and concluded the snowpack is the weakest in our entire forecast area. At least a foot of weak, sugary snow underlies the 2-foot deep snowpack (<u><strong><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/18/shallow-weak-snowpack-lionhead">p…;, </u><u><strong><a href="https://youtu.be/hl5lygIF7s4">video</a></strong></u>). Step off your snowmobile and you’ll easily hit the ground since the snowpack is not supportable. Wind last night and today will load slopes so be extra aware of cracking or collapsing since these are signs that the snowpack is unstable and ready to avalanche. For today, avalanches remain possible on all slopes and the danger is rated <strong>MODERATE</strong>.</p>
<p>Today’s avalanche danger will center on wind-loaded slopes across the Bridger, Madison, and Gallatin Ranges, and also Cooke City. The last couple days have been eerily calm and the powder snow remained undisturbed. That changed last night. At the ridgelines wind speeds are gusting to 30 mph from the west while lower elevation sites are reading 20 mph from the east. In other words, swirly. Windblown snow will drift and load slopes at many elevations and aspects. Eric and Alex backed off Saddle Peak on Friday when they encountered wind slabs, a situation that will be similar today (<strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VatQQ3EreuE&list=PLXu5151nmAvRNl9ku…;, <strong><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/18/cracking-drift-bridgers">photo</a…;, <strong><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/18/wind-slab-northern-bridger">photo…;).</p>
<p>In general the snowpack is stable and lacks widespread weak layers. Many loose snow avalanches and a few wind slabs were reported (<strong><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/avalanche-activity">avalanche activity list</a></strong>) but no deeper layers were involved. Alex toured into the northern Bridger Range on Sunday and titled his <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLfkYW66kDE&list=PLXu5151nmAvRNl9ku…; </strong>“Small avalanches, low danger” to illustrate the general stability he found. </p>
<p>For today, the powdery snow at the surface will be blown into drifts creating a <strong>MODERATE</strong> avalanche danger on all wind-loaded slopes and a <strong>LOW</strong> danger elsewhere.</p>
<p>If you get out and have any avalanche or snowpack observations to share, contact us via our <u><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/add/snow_observation">website</a></u>, email (<u><a href="mailto:mtavalanche@gmail.com">mtavalanche@gmail.com</a></u>), phone (406-587-6984), or Instagram (#gnfacobs).</p>
<p>New this season, we added hyperlinks to the <u><strong><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/weather/wx-avalanche-log">Weather and Avalanche Log</a></strong></u> and a new Menu item <<u><strong><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/avalanche-activity">Avalanches and SnowPits</a></strong></u>> with information on avalanche activity and incidents.</p>
Our education calendar is full of awareness lectures and field courses. Check it out: Events and Education Calendar.
BOZEMAN
TOMORROW, December 5, 1-hr Avalanche Awareness, 6-7 p.m. at REI, Bozeman
December 6, 1-hr Avalanche Awareness and Beacon Practice, 6:30-8 p.m. at Story Mill Park
