Trip Planning for Northern Madison

View Weather and Avalanche Log
24 Hour Snowfall and Wind
as of 5:00 am
Nov 223″ | 25-50 SW
Nov 21 0″ | 30-49 S
Nov 20 1″ | 20-40 SW
Timberline Station
9400′     11/23 at 18:00
22 ℉
W - 18 mph, Gusts 36
3 " New
Lone Mountain SNOTEL
8880′     11/23 at 18:00
23℉
19″ Depth
Primary Problem: Wind Slab
Bottom Line: Wind slab avalanches are the primary concern through the weekend. They could break under the snow that fell yesterday or in the new snow that is going to fall and be blown around tomorrow and Sunday. Either way, they could easily have enough power to knock you off your feet and into the plethora of rocks and stumps that are still exposed with a thin, early season snowpack.

Past 5 Days

Wed Nov 6

None
Wed Nov 13

None
Fri Nov 15

None
Tue Nov 19

None
Fri Nov 22

None

Relevant Avalanche Activity

Northern Madison
Beehive Basin
Shooting Cracks in Beehive Basin
Incident details include images
Beehive Basin
Coordinates: 45.3480, -111.4030
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0

Party of three made our way into Beehive Basin up to near the bottom of 4th of July Couloir. Noted strong winds blowing from the south southwest (up the canyon) Saw shooting cracks up to 8 feet out skinning up a boulder pile on a east facing aspect, (picture my friend took). Snowpack still to shallow to confidently ski any of the upper couloirs. Further down in the canyon on the short grassier slopes snowpack was reasonably dense and stable with a weak crust layer under 8-10 inches of the light fluffy stuff, snow depth up to 2 feet in select spots. Friend reported hearing one small whumph breaking trail up to the ridge on a convex roll. Skied out the entire slope with 10ish other people and didn't see any other signs of instability.


More Avalanche Details

Shooting Cracks in Upper Beehive Basin

Relevant Photos

Displaying 1 - 10
  • 65 CM Snowpit in Beehive Basin.

    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

  • Plume of Snow on the High Peaks of N. Madison

    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

  • Shooting Cracks in Upper Beehive Basin

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

  • Thick Crust in Divide Basin

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

  • Snowpit at Bridger

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

  • Cracking in recent hard wind slab

    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

  • Minor Faceting in At Spanish Peaks Resort

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

  • Fresh Snow in Big Sky

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

  • Bridger Bowl Ridge 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

  • Powder Blast 2024 - October 25

    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

Videos- Northern Madison

WebCams


8800' Camera, Lone Peak view

Yellowstone Club, Timberline Chair

Snowpit Profiles- Northern Madison

 

Select a snowpit on the map to view the profile image

Weather Stations- Northern Madison

Big Sky

Yellowstone Club

Weather Forecast Northern Madison

Full Forecast, NOAA website
Extended Forecast for

5 Miles NNW Big Sky MT

Winter Weather Advisory November 23, 07:03pm until November 24, 05:00pmClick here for hazard details and duration Winter Weather Advisory
  •   Winter Weather Advisory November 23, 07:03pm until November 24, 05:00pm

    NOW until 5:00pm Sun

    Winter Weather Advisory

  • Tonight

    Low: 14 °F

    Chance Snow
    then Heavy
    Snow

  • Sunday

    Sunday: Snow likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 19. West wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

    High: 19 °F

    Snow Likely
    then Partly
    Sunny

  • Sunday Night

    Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 9. Wind chill values as low as -5. West wind 7 to 11 mph becoming south after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph.

    Low: 9 °F

    Partly Cloudy

  • Monday

    Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 21. Wind chill values as low as -5. South wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

    High: 21 °F

    Mostly Sunny

  • Monday Night

    Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13. South wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

    Low: 13 °F

    Slight Chance
    Snow

  • Tuesday

    Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 22. South southwest wind around 11 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

    High: 22 °F

    Chance Snow

  • Tuesday Night

    Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

    Low: 11 °F

    Chance Snow

  • Wednesday

    Wednesday: A slight chance of snow before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 17. Southwest wind 6 to 10 mph.

    High: 17 °F

    Slight Chance
    Snow then
    Partly Sunny

The Last Word

Read accident reports from previous early-season accidents before you venture to the snowy hills. This accident report from October 2012 in the northern Bridger Range, and this report from the tragic fatality six years ago in early October are reminders of the potential consequences of even a small avalanche.

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