The Y couloir on the west side of Saddle Peak area avalanched naturally. Ski Patrol took this picture from the ridge this morning. Strong south winds loaded this slope with a hard slab. Red circle indicates crown line. Photo: P. Maleski
The Bridger and northern Madison Ranges:
Although the Bridger Bowl and Moonlight Basin show 6 inches of snow, the Bridgers received close to double the water weight (1”SWE vs .5”SWE). Ridgetop winds are currently strong enough to move this high density snow onto leeward slopes. Be aware that yesterday winds whipped at all elevations creating mid-mountain slabs that are hidden by today’s new snow.
This avalanche on the east face of Blaze Mountain (10,602') in the N. Madison Range was likely triggered by a cornice breaking. It likely occurred on Friday or Saturday. Photo: A. Whitmore
The Bridger, Gallatin and Madison Ranges, the mountains around Cooke City and the Lionhead area near West Yellowstone:
Throughout our entire forecast area we are finding weak layers propagating in our stability tests. Extended Column Tests (ECT) are our consistent favorite. These tests are showing instability in two layers:
We dug this snowpit on an east facing slope at 8200 fet in the Bridger Range. The depth hoar at the ground was quite large and took a lot of force to break, but is still a concern and likely will be for the rest of the season. Photo: GNFAC
The Bridger Range:
The primary concern for the Bridger Range will be wind slabs. Nine inches of new snow combined with strong upper elevation winds will make slab development most prominent below the ridgelines. West/southwest winds will make slopes on the east half of the compass most susceptible to wind loading. Slabs triggered high on the slope have the ability to entrain large volumes of snow and run long distances.
