Photos

The crown of a remotely triggered avalanche in Sunlight Basin. Photo: GNFAC

Remotely triggered avalanche in Sunlight Basin while walking along a flat ridge. Photo: GNFAC

Cracking at Fawn Pass this was accompanied by multiple collapses during the tour. Photo: S. Reinsel

Our lower ridge has not been controlled or touched yet this year so very indicative the backcountry snowpack. It released sometime before the morning of Jan 10. Photo: YCSP

From Obs:  "While skiing one of our intended slopes, one of my partners skied over a small rollover and as he arrived at the bottom of the small slope a pocket had released above him and stopped just above where he was standing. The culprit was again the recent snow on top of older faceted snow." Photo: Anonymous 

Wind loaded gully above Crypt Orchid in Hyalite. Photo: T Hughes

We then dug on a east-facing slope to the north of the Beehive/Bear cornices and found 105 cm of snow and a 1 foot deep slab that broke in our test as an ECTP3. Low test scores, recent avalanche activity and cracking and collapsing was evidence of the snowpack's instability. Photo: GNFAC

We toured up Tyler's Slope and dug at 9,200' on an west-facing slope. There was a 6" slab of snow sitting on fist hardness facets that propagated in our tests (ECTPV x2). Approaching the pit site we has some collapsing and shooting cracks. Photo: GNFAC

Cornices on the ridge had all broken and pulled out the wind-loaded pockets with one slope sliding 100' distance. These likely occurred last night (1/09/24). Photo: GNFAC

Seen on a ski tour on 1/08. From Obs: Notice a few natural avalanches and one skier triggered avalanche near of the top of Blackmore. Looked as though it was a ski cut that popped the slab. Photo: S. Lowe

Cornices easily broke while walking near them and avalanched onto the slope below. The slope below had already avalanched from a remote trigger below the ridgeline. Photo: GNFAC

Top gray streak: Weak surface hoar buried by new snow. Second gray streak: Old surface hoar that is still visible. Photo: GNFAC

Shooting cracks that propagated in all directions, 50' wide. Photo: GNFAC

Shooting cracks while approaching Lionhead Ridge. Photo: GNFAC

Doug Chabot pointing to a layer of buried surface hoar that failed while isolating an extended column test, ECTPV. Photo: GNFAC

The Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial Fund is hosting two fundraisers on January 16 at The Waypoint and January 18 at Beehive Basin Brewery in Big Sky. 

Skiers on Woody Ridge saw a recent natural avalanche that likely happened yesterday, 01/07. The crown is 8-16" deep and runs a few hundred feet down the gully on a wind-loaded slope. Photo. N. Stayner

Skiers on Woody Ridge saw a recent natural avalanche that likely happened yesterday, 01/07. The crown is 8-16" deep and runs a few hundred feet down the gully on a wind-loaded slope. Photo. N. Stayner

Snowpit at the Head of Hellroaring Creek on 1/7/24. Note the two stripes of surface hoar in the pit wall.

We measured 16" of low-density snow equaling 0.7" of snow water equivalent at higher elevations in the Centennial Mountains of Island Park, ID. The new snow is sitting on a couple of layers of feathery surface hoar and a weak snowpack. It will not take much wind, settlement, or new snow to push the snowpack to the breaking point. Photo: GNFAC