23-24

<p><span><span><span><span><span><u><span><span>The snowpack is unstable.</span></span></u></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span> Yesterday, a skier on Mt. Blackmore, in the northern Gallatin Range, triggered the SE face as he skied. Luckily he was not caught, and fortunately he shared a </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/29503"><span><span><span><strong><span… and POV video</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>. This avalanche is instructive because the unstable conditions they found could be anywhere in our forecast area, such as Saddle Peak, Beehive Basin or Cooke City. Ian and I skied in a backcountry snowpack at Bridger Bowl yesterday. We got a loud collapse in the Fingers Meadow, stopped, and dug in 2 feet of snow. We found weak grains of sugary facets and depth hoar at the base of the snowpack. The collapse was Mother Nature shouting the snow is unstable. Being snow nerds we dug, and we were unable to isolate a column because it kept breaking (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/29503"><span><span><span><strong><span…, snowpit and video</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>). Furthermore, sledders got </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/29513"><span><span><span><strong><span… (whumpfs) in Lionhead</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span> during an avalanche course yesterday and skiers had large </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/29490"><span><span><span><strong><span… in Cooke City</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span> 2 days ago, evidence of similar snow structure.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><u><span><span>The snowpack will be slow to heal.</span></span></u></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span> A persistent weak layer of facets and depth hoar can take months to strengthen. This layer is also protected from our skis chewing it up on popular runs because we float above it, which snow scientist Karl Birkeland shows us in a </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://youtu.be/4CUHU9U3ds8"><span><span><span><strong><span><u><span>… video</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Stay out of avalanche terrain today. This is </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/weather/wx-avalanche-log"><span><span><span… first day in the last 12</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span> when there has been no new snow in our forecast area. The avalanche danger will slowly come down, but not yet. Triggering a slide like the one on Blackmore is just as likely today as it was yesterday.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Throughout our forecast area, the avalanche danger is rated </span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><strong><span><span>CONSIDERABLE</span></span></strong></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span> on all slopes. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p>