New Snow North of Bridger Bowl

New Snow North of Bridger Bowl

Date
Activity
Skiing

On Jan. 11, we toured north of Bridger Bowl after a foot of low-density snow fell, totaling 0.2" of snow-water equivalent. The snow was light and fell with minimal winds. Our concerns are loose snow avalanches (sluffs) and that our weak snowpack is getting incrementally tested by the weight of new snow and we don't know exactly when it will hit its breaking point. There were several small (D1) skier-triggered loose snow avalanches in Wolverine Bowl and the Hourglass. In the snowpits we dug, we didn't see this incremental loading pushing the weak layers to the edge. However,  that is not the case everywhere in the Bridger Range where winds are active and this new low-density snow is being transported, further pushing the weak snowpack toward the edge. Looking north towards Naya Nuki we could see snow being transported at ridge tops while the wind remained calm near us. Employ conservative decision-making along with careful route finding and a thorough snowpack assessment if you are considering traveling on steeper slopes. When the wind ramps up expect the danger to increase and slopes to become more unstable. 

Region
Bridger Range
Location (from list)
Wolverine Bowl
Observer Name
Zach Peterson