Good Morning. This is Eric Knoff with the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Advisory issued on Thursday, March 8th at 6:30 a.m. Today’s advisory is in memory of Kip Rand, former director of the Wallowa Avalanche Center and friend to all who crossed paths with him. Kip died in an avalanche two years ago today. This advisory does not apply to operating ski areas.
Overnight the mountains around Cooke City and West Yellowstone picked up a trace to 1” of snow. At 5 a.m. temps range from the teens to low 20’s F and winds are blowing 10-25 mph out of the W-SW. Today, skies will become increasingly cloudy as a weak storm approaches. Winds gradually increase by this afternoon and will blow 15-30 mph out of the W-SW. Temps will warm into the upper 20’s to low 30’s F. The mountains around Cooke City and West Yellowstone will see 2-3” of snow by tomorrow morning while the mountains around Bozeman and Big Sky will see 1-2”.
The snowpack across the advisory area is generally stable (video). Minimal snow and wind over the past few days and the lack of a buried persistent weak layers has decreased the likelihood of triggering avalanches. However, there remains a slight possibility that skiers or riders could trigger isolated pockets of unstable snow, primarily on steep slopes wind loaded earlier in the week. A slide near Bacon Rind on Tuesday is a good illustration of this isolated problem (photo).
It’s unlikely that a slide would break more than 1-2’ deep or propagate over a wide area, but it’s important to remember that even small slides can have severe consequences. Also, keep large cornices on the radar (photo). These can break far back from the ridge and trigger avalanches on slopes below. Cornices were our main concern in the Bridger Range on Tuesday (video).
For today, triggering avalanches is unlikely and the danger is rated LOW. The definition of Low includes “small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain”, so stay safe by staying smart.
If you get out and have any avalanche or snowpack observations to share, drop a line via our website, email (mtavalanche@gmail.com), phone (406-587-6984), or Instagram (#gnfacobs).
Upcoming Avalanche Education and Events
LIVINGSTON
March 20, Beer for a Cause Night at Katabatic Brewing, 4-8p.m. A dollar from every pint will be donated to The Friends of the Avalanche Center.
COOKE CITY
March 10th, Upper Yellowstone Snowmobile Club Annual Hog Roast, Cooke City, festivities from 7am – 7pm. Schedule Here.
Friday and Saturday, Current Conditions Update and Avalanche Rescue, Friday 6:30-7:30 p.m. at The Soda Butte Lodge. Saturday anytime between 10-2 @ Round Lake.
In the last 2 weeks there have been 9 avalanche fatalities across the western U.S. This includes two people killed in a roof avalanche in Lake Tahoe. Our snowpack is currently more stable than other areas, but now is no time to let you guard down. See more info on recent accidents here: https://avalanche.org/avalanche-accidents/