Trip Planning for Lionhead Range

From obs: "We saw this today after it happened. Looked like a snowmobile triggered it. I believe it is mostly south facing." Photo: D. Haluptzok 

We saw two recent shallow wind slab avalanches. No recent slides breaking deeper. 
This one at NE 9000'

Plenty of wind slabs ranging in size on Lionhead ridge and on surrounding slopes. Photo: Riley

Plenty of wind slabs ranging in size on Lionhead ridge and on surrounding slopes. Photo: Riley

Plenty of wind slabs ranging in size on Lionhead ridge and on surrounding slopes. Photo: Riley

1 meter deep snowpack showing the obvious facets in the bottom third

We dug a pit on an East facing aspect below the slope we had planned to ride. The height of snow was about 110 cm and there was a very concerning layer of large facets at 75cm deep going to the ground.  Photo: C Culver

Our results were CT17 SPQ2 and ECTP26 SCQ1. Bother failures during tests were on the layer of facets and on the CT and ECT our columns easily separated from the facet layer after failure. Photo: C Culver 

On Jan 12, we saw 4-5 avalanche crowns that were up to a week old, some had been reported and a few we had not heard of. Two were ~2' deep on less wind affected slopes lower down in the trees, but probably had some previous wind-loading. Photo: GNFAC

On Jan 12, we saw 4-5 avalanche crowns that were up to a week old, some had been reported and a few we had not heard of. Two were ~2' deep on less wind affected slopes lower down in the trees, but probably had some previous wind-loading. Photo: GNFAC

On Jan 12 We saw 4-5 avalanche crowns that were up to a week old, some had been reported and a few we had not heard of. The pictured one was a 3-4'+thick slab on a rocky heavily wind-loaded slope off Lionhead ridge. Photo: GNFAC

From IG Jan4, Photo: J. Urell

From IG Message Jan 4."They happened today because I did not see the debris on way in". Photo: T. Urell

Remote triggered this avalanche at Lionhead. We were snowmobiling to the left of where the avalanche occurred. No one was caught.

Coordinates: 44°43'36.8"N 111°19'05.0"W

Photo: Ben 

Settling and collapsing on E-NE slopes above Hebgen. Full slope collapses and cracks, approximately 28 degree slope pictured.

Photo: C Koch

While touring up a low-angle ridge in the northern Lionhead, I experienced several large collapses, notably one that triggered a cornice fall from 50’ away. Another remote collapse caused about 500’ of an E facing bowl to propagate, but not slide. ~9200’ E-SE 

Photo: N Sramek

While touring up a low-angle ridge in the northern Lionhead, I experienced several large collapses, notably one that triggered a cornice fall from 50’ away. Another remote collapse caused about 500’ of an E facing bowl to propagate, but not slide. ~9200’ E-SE

Photo: N Sramek

There was a natural avalanche on the landslide face above quake lake. The avalanche failed on a weak layers near the ground and broke several hundred feet wide. 

From obs on 12/29: "On our way out near the cabin I cut a line close to a creek to see if I could trigger something."

From obs on 12/29: "On our way out near the cabin I cut a line close to a creek to see if I could trigger something."

Occurred during the day on 12/28 Photo: GNFAC

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

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

WE facing snow at 8100 ft Cabin Ck

Cabin Creek snow cover

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

Snowpack on Ski Hill at Lionhead. Photo: GNFAC

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"

On October 17, rain turned to snow and blanketed the mountains of southwest Montana with a fresh coat of snow. Photo: Yellowstone Club Webcam

On October 17, rain turned to snow and blanketed the mountains of southwest Montana with a fresh coat of snow. Photo: Bridger Bowl Webcams

The 26th annual fundraiser for the Friends of the GNFAC is October 25 at the Emerson Cultural Center. More info and tickets at: https://events.eventgroove.com/event/Powder-Blast-2024-101627