Skied in Frazier and fairy lake area today. No signs of instability or wind loading on the north facing slopes we skied. We found a very firm crust layer under a few inches of new snow. The new snow was sluffing quite easily but wasn’t consolidated. It was lightly snowing all day but no wind to speak of moving the new snow around.
We rode up Buck Ridge towards the Bear Creek Wilderness boundary, along the way we found 6 to 10 inches of new snow that fell over the last 24 hours. In many areas this new snow has formed large drifts even in treed areas. Behind McAtee Basin, we saw a small natural wind slab avalanche on an east facing slope, and we saw a natural wind slab in Bear Creek. From a nearby ridge line we could see snow being transported at ridge tops. On a small test slope near Muddy Creek we intentionally triggered several small avalanches in wind loaded terrain. In First Yellow Mule we dug a snow pit on a north facing slope, at 9,300’. We saw ECTN 13 and 14 scores below the new snow.
Strong north wind prevailed through most of the day at or near ridge lines. We saw lots of evidence of both cross loading and wind loading on many slopes.
A partner and I toured up into the southeast bowl of Emigrant peak earlier today. New snow ranged from ~3-10 cm, increasing with elevation, and with surprisingly little wind affect. The consequences of the recent warm spell were still obvious, with a pervasive crust under the new snow, and one large recent wet slide. We dug on a northeast aspect at 9000' and got unremarkable test results (CT 15 Q2 on Depth Hoar, ECTN15 beneath the recent crust), and a similar structure to the rest of the region (Basal Facets, a large mid pack slab of rounds, and a complex of recent wet snow and crusts near the surface). Clouds obscured our view of the alpine, and we decided to keep to mellow terrain due to the low visibility and possibility of a consequential slide.
Debris field from likely a wet slide on a steeper slope in the back bowl near Emigrant peak. Slide was on an east-south/east facing slope. Not sure the date of slide.
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Today’s new snow creates additional avalanche hazard, especially where southwest-west winds drifted the snow into thicker slabs. These slabs will be easy for a person to trigger and potentially large enough to bury someone. Also, a person can trigger larger avalanches that break multiple feet deep and hundreds of feet wide on buried persistent weak layers. These potentially massive avalanches have become less likely over the last couple weeks, but the consequences remain severe, and today the likelihood has increased on wind-loaded slopes. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The most recent avalanche that broke on a deeper weak layer was last Tuesday near Mt. Blackmore, and resulted in a skier being caught and injured requiring a helicopter rescue from GCSAR (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31526"><span><span><span><strong><span… and photos</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>). Yesterday near Cooke City skiers triggered a large collapse of the snowpack on a low angle slope (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31570"><span><span><span><strong><span…;). Additional reminders of this hazard include a huge remotely triggered slide in the Absarokas last week (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31460"><span><span><span><strong><span…;), a rider triggered slide in Taylor Fork (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31479"><span><span><span><strong><span… and photo</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>), a big slide that broke naturally on the north face of Mt. Blackmore (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/31432"><span><span><span><strong><span…;), and this </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://youtu.be/K_t6Fi6wUC4?si=7YL80dNe5pSqJUsL"><span><span><span><st…; from early January showing the very poor foundation of the snowpack supporting all the snow that has since fallen. Assessing the stability of the deeply buried weak layers is difficult. To manage this problem, the best strategy is careful terrain selection and sticking to safe travel practices.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Be extra cautious of steep wind-loaded slopes today. Signs that slopes are wind-loaded include cornices hanging off the ridgeline above, a textured or rounded pillow-like snow surface, or cracks shooting across the surface from your feet or skis.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>If you plan to ride steeper slopes, choose smaller and simpler slopes with clean runouts free of trees, cliffs, rocks or confined gullies, and without recent wind-loading. Only expose one person at a time to steep slopes, watch your partners from a safe spot while they’re on those slopes, and make sure everyone carries rescue gear (avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe). Today, on wind-loaded slopes human-triggered avalanches are likely and the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE, and on non-wind-loaded slopes the avalanche danger is MODERATE.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Our education calendar is full of awareness lectures and field courses. Check it out: Events and Education Calendar.
From obs. 3/23/24: "...Natural wet slab avalanche in the Playground, just North of Texas Meadows. It seemed to have been triggered from a wet loose avalanche that released from the cliffband above...." Photo: D. Sandberg
From obs. 3/23/24: "...Natural wet slab avalanche in the Playground, just North of Texas Meadows. It seemed to have been triggered from a wet loose avalanche that released from the cliffband above...." Photo: D. Sandberg
From obs 3/23/24: "...Also observed wet loose activity in S facing run off Texas (first run to the W of the summit)-photo attached. ..." Photo: D. Sandberg
