Photos

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Chris Hericks, snow ranger on Beaverhead Deerlodge NF, points to the lower of two surface hoar layers. We are finding similar layering throughout our entire forecast area. The top 18" of the snowpack is weak and will quickly become unstable when it snows. Photo: GNFAC

Crown of the avalanche on Ski Hill. The snow rangers in the photo are standing near the victim burial site. Photo: GNFAC

Looking up from the bottom of the avalanche that killed one snowmobiler on Ski Hill. The crown is visible at the top of the hill. The men in the photo are standing near the trees where the victim was buried. Photo: GNFAC

The backpack pictured marks the place where the avalanche victim was buried. Photo: GNFAC

Identifying snow crystals in the layer that failed at the crown of the avalanche on Ski Hill. The avalanche broke on weak, faceted crystals near the surface. Photo: GNFAC

Debris from the fatal avalanche on Ski Hill. The backpack marks the place where the victim came to rest. Photo: J. Norlander

Identifying and recording grain types in the snowpack at the site of the Lionhead avalanche fatality. Photo: J. Norlander

Skiers observed natural avalanche activity just outside the Cooke City advisory area in Yellowstone National Park on Monday. Photo: S Gill

Skiers observed natural avalanche activity just outside the Cooke City advisory area in Yellowstone National Park on Monday. Photo: S Gill

A group of riders snapped a photo of this avalanche on Sunday. The slide isn't huge but it would be highly consequential in the treed terrain were trauma is a real possibility. Photo: A. Bertolino

A group of snowmobilers reported triggering this small avalanche from the backside of the rollover on Sunday. Triggering an avalanche from a long distance away is a clear sign of an unstable snowpack. Photo: A. Bertolino

This natural avalanche occurred late on 2/6 or early 2/7, on the southeast side of Scotch Bonnet Mtn. Photo: GNFAC

The crown is not visible (it is down and right) but the X marks the approximate spot the rider was found. Photo: GNFAC

The crown was measured 4-11 inches deep and 75 feet wide. Photo: GNFAC

Looking at a weak layer of facets that the avalanche propagated on. Photo: GNFAC

Looking at the crown from below. Photo: GNFAC

From Obs: "On the morning of Sunday February 6, a snowmobiler triggered a slide in new snow on the SW face of Sheep Mountain. The slide triggered remotely while the rider was lower on the slope and he was not caught (the visible track is not from the rider who triggered the slide, his track was buried in the debris field). The crown was about 18" deep and 75 feet wide and the slide and the slide ran about 250 feet." Photo: C Mozol

A small, skier-triggered avalanche on Mt Blackmore on Sunday (Feb 6) would be unlikely to bury a skier or rider, but could push them into or off obstacles. Photo: E Stutzman

From Obs: "Today I watched as a sledder dropped a cornice causing the cornice to fall triggering an avalanche chasing him down the hill. The snowpack consisted of a wind slab on top of near-surface facets and a couple buried layers of surface hoar." Photo: B Rasmussen