Trip Planning for Lionhead Range

as of 5:00 am
Today0″ | 4-14 NW
Mar 18 10″ | 10-20 NW
Mar 17 10″ | 45-100 W
9420′     03/19 at 16:00
14.5℉
SW - 18mph
Gusts 30 mph
7750′     03/19 at 16:00
25℉
73″ Depth
Primary Problem: Wind Slab
Bottom Line: Heavy snowfall since late last week combined with hurricane force winds on Sunday night make wind slabs and deeper persistent slab avalanches a major concern on wind loaded slopes. The new snow has bonded well to itself, but with so much of it, even on non-wind loaded slopes there may be places with a relatively shallower snowpack where avalanches could break into older snow.

Past 5 Days

Sat Mar 15

Moderate
Sun Mar 16

Considerable
Mon Mar 17

High
Tue Mar 18

High
Today

Considerable

Relevant Avalanche Activity

Lionhead Range
LIONHEAD AREA
Many Wind Slab Avalanches at Lionhead
Incident details include images
Incident details contain video
LIONHEAD AREA
N-R2-D2-I
Elevation: 9,400
Aspect: E
Coordinates: 44.7292, -111.3230
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0

We saw many R1-R2 wind slab avalanches below the Lionhead Ridge cornice line. Visibility was limited so I won't estimate the exact number, but nearly every time we had good views of the steep faces, we saw cornice collapses, debris, or small crown lines. There were two slides on east aspects that ran closer to full path and piled debris more deeply. I expect that most of these had run within the last 24 hours, but continuing snowfall and hurricane force winds made precisely dating these a challenge (many trees were blown down during the wind event, these too were already somewhat buried). None of the avalanches broke on persistent weak layers as far as I could tell. 


More Avalanche Details
Lionhead Range
Lionhead Ridge
recent small wind slabs at Lionhead
Incident details include images
Lionhead Ridge
SS-N-R1-D1-S
Elevation: 9,000
Aspect: E
Coordinates: 44.7145, -111.3180
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0

We rode out Lionhead Ridge and around the north end to the head of Targhee Creek. Skies started overcast, but cleared through the day as wind calmed from moderate to light out of the west and southwest.... there were two or three shallow small wind slabs below Lionhead Ridge. 


More Avalanche Details
Lionhead Range
Airplane Bowl
Snowmobile triggered slide in Airplane Bowl
Incident details include images
Airplane Bowl
HS-AMu-R2-D2-O
Elevation: 9,100
Aspect: SE
Coordinates: 44.7250, -111.3220
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0

Also, on our way out we saw an avalanche in Airplane Bowl that had been triggered during the day today. This slide also broke on the persistent weak layers, 2-3' deep, 150' wide.


More Avalanche Details

Relevant Photos

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Videos- Lionhead Range

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Rendezvous Ski Trail, W. Yellowstone

Snowpit Profiles- Lionhead Range

 

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Weather Forecast Lionhead Range

Extended Forecast for

10 Miles WNW West Yellowstone MT

  • Tonight

    Tonight: A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after 3am.  Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13. Wind chill values as low as -5. South southwest wind 16 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.  Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

    Low: 13 °F

    Mostly Cloudy
    then Chance
    Snow

  • Thursday

    Thursday: Snow.  High near 21. Wind chill values as low as zero. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 15 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.  Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

    High: 21 °F

    Snow and
    Breezy

  • Thursday Night

    Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow before midnight.  Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12. Wind chill values as low as zero. West southwest wind 13 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.  New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

    Low: 12 °F

    Chance Snow
    then Mostly
    Cloudy

  • Friday

    Friday: A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after noon.  Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23. Wind chill values as low as zero. Southwest wind 11 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.  New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

    High: 23 °F

    Chance Snow

  • Friday Night

    Friday Night: Snow, mainly after midnight.  Low around 22. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 22 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.  Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

    Low: 22 °F

    Breezy.
    Chance Snow
    then Snow

  • Saturday

    Saturday: Snow.  High near 24. Breezy, with a southwest wind 23 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph.  Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

    High: 24 °F

    Snow and
    Breezy

  • Saturday Night

    Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow before midnight.  Partly cloudy, with a low around 10. Blustery, with a west northwest wind 17 to 22 mph decreasing to 9 to 14 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph.

    Low: 10 °F

    Slight Chance
    Snow and
    Blustery then
    Partly Cloudy

  • Sunday

    Sunday: A slight chance of snow after noon.  Partly sunny, with a high near 27. Southwest wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

    High: 27 °F

    Partly Sunny
    then Slight
    Chance Snow

  • Sunday Night

    Sunday Night: A chance of snow.  Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25.

    Low: 25 °F

    Chance Snow

The Last Word

03 / 18 / 25  <<  
 
this forecast
 
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