16-17

Looking sweet. I know they're thinking,"Gonna get some turns!" Strong winds on Thanksgiving day stripped the new snow away from the open slopes and loaded gullies. Photo: B. VandenBos
 

This photo was taken on Thanksgiving day in Sacajewea Bowl. The wind sculpture/texture is called sastrugi and is a sign of strong winds stripping away the snow. Photo: B. VandenBos

Natural slides on the east side of the Bridger Range. This picture was taken on Thanksgiving day. Photo: B. VandenBos
 

From an emailed observation:

Dug a pit at 9200 feet E facing, 31 cm of snow ECTN 12 at 15 cm from ground, failed on 15 cm of large grain crystals (facets). Skied 200 feet into Bear Basin and it was awful, crushing rocks left and right so we turned around...Just glad we came back without injuries. Photo: T. Allen

In the northern Madison Range, up Beehive Basin, a thin snowpack (1 foot deep), lots of rocks and cracking in the new, wind-deposited snow made for a nice tour, but not for finding turns. Photo: T. Allen

From an email:  I was skiing a SSE facing slope at about 9200', took a few turns into a couloir (after ski cutting the top) and got taken down by a 1' deep wind slab that had broken 10' above me, approximately 30' wide. It swept me down through a rocky pinch which I was able to guide myself down without any serious injuries. It was a confined wind slab right on the ridge line that did not step down to the ground or cause any large secondary avalanches. Photo: M. Cohen