Trip Planning for Northern Madison

Small slide in terrain trap. Looks to be old, likely from before the wind event that occurred mid last week. A snowmobile track leads into it with wind-drifted snow covering the track. Photo: L Welles

 We triggered a 12" soft wind slab on a NE facing slope at 9,5k'. Photo: J Gerardi

Photo: J Aid

Middle Basin ECT

Middle Basin Snowpit

Tyler's snowpit 

Small natural windslab along Beehive Ridgeline around noon on 12/18. It broke up to around a foot deep, 20 ft wide, and ran about 15 vertical feet. Photo: GNFAC.

Plumes of drifting snow in the Bridger Range as strong winds blasted the mountains. Photo: GNFAC

Snowmobilers triggered a small avalanche in Slats Canyon at Buck Ridge on Sunday. Photo: anonymous

A natural storm slab avalanche in 3rd Yellowmule (~100 ft wide and ran ~200 vertical ft). Broke either 12/16 or early morning 12/17. Photo taken 12/17/24. Photo: GNFAC

A natural storm slab avalanche on the far (southwest) side of Buck Creek - broke 2-300 ft wide and ran ~500 vertical feet. Photo taken 12/17/24. Photo: GNFAC

Looking down the gully at part of the remotely triggered avalanche in Bear Creek. Triggered on 12/17/24. Photo: GNFAC

Looking across the gully at part the remotely triggered avalanche in Bear Creek. Triggered on 12/17/24. Photo: GNFAC

Part of the crown of the remotely triggered avalanche in Bear Creek. Triggered on 12/17/24. Photo: GNFAC

From IG: On 12/15 "Storm slab broke about 200’ above us as skinning up the hallway coming from the north side on the throne." Photo: Anonymous

While skinning back up to the Beehive/Middle ridge we remotely triggered 12 inches of storm snow on a SE facing gully from 15 ft away, the crown was ~50 ft long. ~8,200 ft. Photo: J Nadison

When skiing into middle basin, I stopped at the top of a convex roller and had cracks shooting out 50 feet in either direction from what seemed to be a soft slab in the new snow that slid about a foot or so. 

Photo: S Lipsteuer

When skiing into middle basin, I stopped at the top of a convex roller and had cracks shooting out 50 feet in either direction from what seemed to be a soft slab in the new snow that slid a foot or so. 

Photo: S Lipsteuer

Gusty winds transporting snow in Taylor Fork on Saturday. Triggered a 4-5 inch deep wind slab that propagated about 50 ft at the top of a north east facing slope at 9,500 ft.

Photo: JP

Photo: H Darby

Photo: H Darby

Photo: H Darby

Photo: H Darby

A small loose-wet avalanche on a S facing aspect on Eglise Rock was observed that likely broke in the last day or two. Photo: GNFAC 12/4/2024

The head of Beaver Creek was scoured nearly to dirt and the cornice is quite large there already.  We noted one small wind slab avalanche just below it.  We found a similar avalanche in Second Yellowmule that again appeared to be from wind loading.  Both appeared to be several days old. Photo: USFS Bozeman Snow Rangers 

The head of Beaver Creek was scoured nearly to dirt and the cornice is quite large there already.  We noted one small wind slab avalanche just below it.  We found a similar avalanche in Second Yellowmule that again appeared to be from wind loading.  Both appeared to be several days old. Photo: USFS Bozeman Snow Rangers

Big Sky Ski Patrol triggered a deep slide in the Big Couloir during avalanche mitigation work on 11/28/24: "Summit north peeled the cornice way back to the ridge and took out the upper hanging snowfield before crashing into the Couloir, leaving a 5-6’ tall crown in the chute above the dogleg." Photo: BSSP

WE facing snow at 8100 ft Cabin Ck

SE facing snow Cabin Creek

N facing snow Cabin Creek, 9000 ft

Big Sky Ski Patrol triggered this avalanche during mitigation work in The Wave on 11/26/24... "2-3' deep on an ice crust just above the ground with a 2# shot in the Upper rodeo. Volume was limited as most of the snow was loaded just underneath the cornice, but still produced a sizeable size 2... Other paths in the Lenin region ran meaty wind slabs, full track with no significant step downs." Photo: BSSP

Cracking on old, faceted, October snow hundreds of feet long. North facing near treeline. Photo: BSSP

Intentional, human-triggered avalanche by a ski patrol breaking at the ground on a north facing slope near treeline. Photo: BSSP

The snowpack remains thin (20-25 inches of mostly unconsolidated base) and there were plenty of rocks and stumps to hit, but coverage was better than I expected (and probably better than most of December 2023). Photo: GNFAC

On the drive toward Gallatin Canyon this morning, we saw large plumes of snow blowing off the high peaks. We didn't see evidence of recent wind transport on our tour, but I'd be watching out for it. Photo: GNFAC

Skiers in the upper part of Beehive Basin noted shooting cracks within the wind-drifted snow. Photo: T. Cox

Inch thick crust on SW slope in Divide Basin. Photo: C. Daniels

Snowpit at Bridger Bowl on 11/5. Photo: B. VandenBos

From e-mail: "Photo attached from near top of hyalite peak, 11/2. Cracking in recent hard wind slab, I had to really jump hard to make this. Walked on many other hard slabs that were well bonded. Highly variable snowpack. I think you'd be most likely to get into trouble by popping out a small hard slab pocket like this and getting magic carpeted into some thinly covered terrain." Photo: B. VandenBos

From obs: "1-3 mm faceting in front of the Montage. Clear skys and mid 20 temps"