19-20

<p>Increasing winds today will form fresh drifts out of last week’s 50-60” of snow that will crack and avalanche in steep terrain. While the new avalanche problem to watch for today will be wind-loaded slopes, we aren’t out of the woods from the largest loading event of the year (3-4.5” of <a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/or/snow/?cid=nrcs142p2… water equivalent</a> in the last seven days). Indeed, it was just 24 hours ago that the mountains around Big Sky and Bozeman reported up to a foot of new snow. Two days ago, Alex searched the Bridger Range for the fallout from the storm and said, “It would be easier to list the steep slopes that didn’t avalanche than those that did.” This included one avalanche in Truman Gulch that broke over a mile wide (<a href="https://mtavalanche.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6653a830e4819c9e…; target="_blank"><strong>photos</strong></a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXPxJvSz-uk&amp;list=PLXu5151nmAvSbcbVf…; target="_blank"><strong>video</strong></a>) and a slide that broke naturally across Saddle Peak failing 4-8’ deep (<strong><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/20/natural-saddle-peak-deep-slab-cro…;, <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJUrhcTRHac&amp;list=PLXu5151nmAvSbcbVf…;). Photos and reports continue to come in from observers in the Northern Gallatin, Madison, and Bridger Ranges documenting trees snapped of by the force of slides and huge debris piles far down in runout zones (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/photos"><strong>photos page</strong></a>,<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/avalanche-activity&quot; target="_blank"> <strong>avalanche log</strong></a>).</p>

<p>Dangerous avalanche conditions continue today as increasing winds load slopes with fresh drifts of snow and the snowpack slowly adjusts to snow from the last week. Cautious route-finding and conservative terrain choices are essential. Human triggered avalanches are likely, and the danger is rated CONSIDERABLE on all slopes.</p>

<p>While not a green light, the snowpack around Cooke City and West Yellowstone is adjusting well to the 2-3’ of snow in the last week and the avalanche danger is coming down. Doug and I spent the last two days riding through the Lionhead and Southern Madison regions and the most remarkable thing we saw was the lack of significant natural and human triggered avalanche activity (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOKh3V6ZDJ0&amp;list=PLXu5151nmAvSbcbVf… video</strong></a>, <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kW1KxfjQK8&amp;list=PLXu5151nmAvSbcbVf… Fork video</a></strong>). We noted several avalanches within the new snow and when the wind picks up, there is a lot of ammunition to rapidly build drifts of snow that will avalanche. Skiers and riders in Cooke City reported similar conditions observing avalanches that failed during and immediately after the storm breaking 2-3’ deep and sensitive wind drifts breaking 4-6” deep (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/20/natural-avalanche-2-3-deep-cooke"…;, <strong><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/20/cooke-city-storm-slabs">2</a&gt;, <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/20/human-triggered-small-avalanche-c…;, <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/20/human-triggered-small-avalanche-c…;).</p>

<p>Human triggered avalanches are possible, and the danger is rated MODERATE. Assess the snowpack for instabilities, be obsessed with the consequences of a slide before committing to avalanche terrain, and avoid slopes recently loaded by the increasing wind.</p>

<p>If you get out, please send us your observations no matter how brief. You can fill out an&nbsp;<a href="https://mtavalanche.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6653a830e4819c9e…; target="_blank"><strong>observation form</strong></a>, email us (<a href="mailto:mtavalanche@gmail.com&quot; target="_blank"><strong>mtavalanche@gmail.com</strong></a>), leave a VM at 406-587-6984, or Instagram (#gnfacobs).</p>