Snow Observations List

CD
Northern Madison
Beehive Basin
Near ground faceting - beehive basin

Dug a small pit on NW aspect at about 9100 and saw about 5cm of faceting right on the dirt and got ECTP22 on that layer. Some surface hoar present but mostly melted off. 

Full Snow Observation Report
GNFAC
Island Park
Black Canyon
Some faceting near IP
Snow Obsdrvation includes images
Snow Obs contain video

Quick loop on the sleds around Black Canyon. 50 cm (~20 inches) of snow at 8000'. Good layer of surface hoar on top, and the upper part of the snowpack is starting to facet. Non-issue for now with snow coming this week that could double the snowpack. 

South facing slopes have some damp snow.

Full Snow Observation Report
J. Alford
Bridger Range
Fairy Lake
Old crown, facets at fairy
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

I made it up to an old crown in a north-facing chute around Fairy Lake at around 9400 ft; it broke the night of 11/6 or the morning of 11/7. It looked like a wind slab that broke on a rotten layer of facets intermixed with scree. Found facets to be fairly widespread through the bottom of the snowpack on the north-facing slopes and surface hoar on most nonsolar slopes. 

Full Snow Observation Report
GNFAC
Bridger Range
Sacajewea Peak
Northern Bridgers
Snow Obsdrvation includes images
Snow Obs contain video

Early season conditions. At 8000' just below the Sacajawea trail bowl, there is about 9" of snow. In the trail bowl, winds moved that snow around and there is nice firm, supportable (ie - not hitting rocks) snow. 
 

Warm weather really settled the snow and it became damp today on many sun exposed slopes. It stayed dry and cold on high north. 
 

Overall, the things seem quite stable, even though there may be a wind slab or two that could still avalanche. 
 

 

Full Snow Observation Report
Anonymous
Northern Madison
Beehive Basin
Early Season Observations - Beehive Basin

From text: “50cm of snow on an east facing slope in beehive. Got ectp12 breaking at the ground, same result 2 times. Ct2 at the ground as well. Stayed out of the steeps today, some funky skiing with the heat up this afternoon.”

Full Snow Observation Report
P. Crockard
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
Natural Avalanche Bridger Bowl
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

On 20241107 I observed a small natural avalanche from the top of the PK lift at Bridger Bowl. The slide occurred  near the Slushman’s lift on a NNE aspect. It started as a small release in the upper start zone and entrained much of the snow in the couloir down to the ground. L-N-D1.5- G. 

Avalanche occurred after the start zone had come into the sun for a few minutes. The rest of the path was in the shade.

Wind speed at 11am 24mph gusting to 28mph on Bridger Ridge. Sky Clear. Temp 26F.

It was a relatively small slide but had enough power to carry a skier or rider through some very nasty terrain. Similar aspect and elevation to the Super Couloir slide. 

Full Snow Observation Report
Eddie
Northern Madison
Big Sky Resort
Toe of Ambush
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

Small surface hoar. On a 18” base depth snowmaking snow. North Face, above creek, elevation 7571’ toe of ambush ski slope. 

Full Snow Observation Report
H. Mans
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
ECPT4 on the Apron

From IG message: "Hey the post of super jogged my memory to send you this, a friend and I had whumpfing and cracks while skinning up the trees in the apron yesterday [11/6], we dug a pit and got an ect 4 collapse against the rocks. We were about halfway up the apron when we took this."

Full Snow Observation Report

Video is in IG messages, worth a watch.

R Cigler
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
Avalanche in Super Couloir
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

From IG Message: “(Avalanche) Spotted in Super Couloir

Full Snow Observation Report
Anonymous
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
Skier-triggered Avalanche in Super Couloir at BBowl
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

From IG Message: “Skier triggered Pocket in super couloir. Wasn't very unexpected, the skiers left side felt a little slabbier than the skiers right and tried to stay off it but got blinded by a sick face shot. Triggered going over a sharky rock spot, not very fast moving and easy to ski out of. Snow depth was 2-2.5 feet”

Full Snow Observation Report

Garrett sent a POV video but it doesn’t show much so I left it out of the ob. You can see it in IG Messages if you want. 

Anonymous
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
Skier-triggered avalanche in Super Couloir
Snow Obs contain video

From IG Message: “Hey guys - my partner broke off a small avalanche in super couloir today… broke full depth across half the couloir, 2-3’ deep/20’ wide and looked like it ran around 500’. No one was caught. He might message you with pictures too but here’s a video from the top”

Full Snow Observation Report
Anonymous
Bridger Range
Argentina Bowl
Small natural avalanches below ridge South of saddle peak

Saw debris from several small natural avalanches below the ridge on an east aspect south of saddle peak while driving up to bridger. Most looked like point releases but there was one that might have been a small slab. Unsure because the light wasn't right to tell if there was a crown.

We stayed low but found a pretty uniform snowpack other than a couple of spots with sun crusts.

There was also tons of snow blowing over the ridge when we left around 3pm.

Full Snow Observation Report
Shep
Bridger Range
Bradley Meadow
N aspect above Bradley’s
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

45.8305, -110.9307, 7840’, NW aspect, 23°

ECTN3 failing on 3cm layer of 2mm buried facets at the ground. HS 65cm. 

SE aspect hand pit has much more favorable conditions due to the lack of faceted old snow. Snow near the ground was still moist. 

Full Snow Observation Report
E. Heiman
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
Blowing snow and developing wind slabs at B Bowl

Toured up to the top of PK this morning to check out the fresh snow and see if we could eek out some early season turns. Cold temps to start the day with some light to moderate wind out of the NW and evidence that the wind was certainly blowing snow around during the storm over the past 24 hours or so. Did not see any significantly developed slabs in a multitude of hand pits at mid elevations, but noticed a relatively consistent 2-4 inch denser layer (from the wind) on top of the softer snow below. 

Full Snow Observation Report
B. VandenBos
Bridger Range
Bridger Bowl
BBowl obs
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

From email: "A little bbowl storm skiing for me yesterday afternoon/evening. Measured 20-25cm settled storm snow at base area and 35-40cm at mid and upper mountain. Very graupel-rich storm, with lots of rimed stellars too. Winds were blowing from the N across the lower mountain and up to the top of bridger, then I got into the calm "detachment zone" with light winds for the rest of the way. Lots of relatively soft wind slab formation going on, maximum encountered slab depth was 30-40cm. Localized cracking in these drifts, and some subtle, muffled collapsing.

I found a variable amount of "older" snow underneath the new snow, not from the Oct 17-18th storm, but from earlier this week. This was absent at the base but increased to a variable 5-20 cm on easterly aspects on mid/upper mountain."

Full Snow Observation Report
Anonymous
Out of Advisory Area
Early season avalanche
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

Avalanche observed on Chico Baldy above Mill Creek in Paradise Valley.  East aspect at about 9400'. Possibly a wind slab but hard to tell

Full Snow Observation Report
GNFAC
Cooke City
Early season snow, Lulu Pass Rd
Snow Obs contain video

Drove up Lulu Pass road 1/4 mile from hwy 212. There was 7-8" of snow that fell since November 1 on previously snow-free southerly facing meadows around 8,100'. 

Full Snow Observation Report
S. Bonucci
Southern Madison
Sphinx Mountain
Wind Slabs at the Sphinx
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

Triggered a small wind slab:

-9600'

-N aspect on the NW ridge of Sphinx Mountain 

-Strong SW wind

-Noticed other small crowns, likely triggered from another party traversing the north-facing bowl at similar elevations

Full Snow Observation Report
B. VandenBos
Northern Gallatin
Hyalite - main fork
Hard wind slabs in Hyalite
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

From e-mail: "Photo attached from near top of hyalite peak yesterday eve , 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."

Full Snow Observation Report
GNFAC
Webcam images show new snow/snow cover on Nov 1
Snow Obsdrvation includes images

Screenshots of webcams throughout the forecast area show new snow and snow cover on November 1. Snowfall last night dropped 2-8" throughout the forecast area.

-AM

Full Snow Observation Report