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All winter we talked about weak, sugary snow near the base of the snowpack creating unstable conditions, especially in the mountains near Bozeman, Big Sky and West Yellowstone. From late October through November the mountains received 2-4 feet of snow, followed by mostly dry and cold weather through mid-December. This long period of high pressure caused the early season snow to become faceted, sugary and weak. Read full summary in PDF below.

We just ended our 31^st year of operation after a winter of increased backcountry traffic on an avalanche prone snowpack. The season started on October 14 with an early season snowstorm and first recorded avalanches. We issued 12 early season bulletins before the start of the daily forecasts which ran for 121 days from December 12 to April 11.

Snow stability tests provide information about the likelihood of avalanching on slopes with a similar snow structure.

In the Rocky Mountains early season snow is typically not good for stability .

Winter is not going down without a fight, but we have concluded our 30^th season of daily avalanche forecasts. A 10” early snowstorm prompted our first bulletin of the year on September 26. Snow continued, folks flocked to the mountains and we issued 17 bulletins before our daily advisories started on November 30. By April 5^th we had issued 128 daily advisories including 2 days of avalanche warnings, and will continue posting weather and snowpack updates twice a week through April. This was a good winter on many fronts: no avalanche fatalities and plenty of snowfall.

We recognize that backcountry skiing can be daunting to approach. That’s why Ben Goertzen and the Friends of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center have teamed up to help breakdown some of the most prominent barriers of entry to backcountry skiing through this campaign. One lucky winner will be given a complete backcountry skiing kit, a spot in an avalanche awareness course, and featured in a three part video series that ends with an excursion into the backcountry with professional skier and filmmaker, Ben Goertzen.

Early season snowfall favored the mountains around Bozeman and Big Sky. For much of November, Brackett Creek Snotel site in the Bridger Range was at a record high for total SWE (

Thanks for a wonderful winter. We concluded our 29^th season after 129 daily avalanche forecasts between November 30^th and April 7^th. Additionally, we issued 14 preseason information bulletins and have 7 post season bulletins scheduled.

The forecast area of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center (GNFAC) includes Cooke City, a snowmobiler Mecca. The terrain is big, open, accessible, within view of Yellowstone National Park and deadly. Cooke City’s first snowmobile avalanche fatality occurred in 1992 and since then there have been 19 snowmobiler fatalities making it the deadliest real estate in USFS land for motorized recreationists.

Saddle Peak sits south of Bridger Bowl as a pair of equally high points on the ridgeline. The familiar eastern slope rises 3,500 feet above the highway on the way to Bridger Bowl, and provides an iconic view to those at the ski area. The peak’s extraordinary gullies and faces are the siren’s song to the southwest Montana powder skier. Access to the summit is easy. Despite its attraction and ease of access, on any piece of the mountain, the consequences of an avalanche, wrong turn, or fall could be fatal.