Photos

The avalanche broke 3' deep and was 80' wide at the crown and 150' wide mid-path. Photo: GNFAC

The victim of the avalanche on Henderson Bench was buried 4-5 feet deep and wrapped around this tree. He was uncoverd in 15 minutes, but unfortunately did not survive. Photo GNFAC

The crown of the fatal avalanche on Henderson Bench was 80 feet wide at the top of the slope and 150 feet wide at its widest point. It was 3 feet deep with a cassification of SS-AS-R4-D2. Photo GNFAC

This avalanche resulted in a fatality on Henderson Bench outside of Cooke City. The slope had a northeast aspect and was 250 vertical feet. The slide failed on a layer of facets over an ice crust three feet below the surface. The victim was strained through trees and likley died of trauma.

The slope is longer and steeper than it appears in the photograph. Photo GNFAC

A slab avalanche at the Yellowstone Club is indicative of the unstable conditions in the backcountry. This was human triggered on a 34 degree slope. It broke 2' deep, 150' wide and 100' vertical on facets above an crust near the ground. This is the same poor structure we are finding throughout our advisory area. Photo: Yellowstone Club Ski Patrol

This avalanche was triggered by Big Sky ski patrol with explosives during control work on Sunday (12/11). Photo: BSSP

Crown of an avalanche that was triggered by ski patrol during control work on Sunday (12/11). An avalanche of new snow was triggered by an explosive then broke into deeper layers near the ground. Photo: GNFAC

Debris from an avalanche that was triggered by ski patrol during control work on Sunday (12/11). An avalanche of new snow that was triggered by a small explosive then broke into deeper layers near the ground. The debris ran far, and into flat terrain. Photo: GNFAC

This snowpack in the 3rd Yellowmule off Buck Ridge was 100 cm's deep on a north facing slope at 9,200 ft. The layer of concern is a well developed layer of facets sitting over an ice crust just under a foot off the ground. This layer will remain a concern for some time. Photo GNFAC

The Yellowstone Club ski patrol triggered this slide during control work. The slide failed on weak facets near the ground. Photo YC Patrol 

The Big Sky Ski Patrol triggered this avalanche on the south face of Lone Peak with minimal explosives. It broke 3-4' deep on facets at the ground and propagated 1200' wide. This instability also exists in the backcountry. Photo: Big Sky Ski Patrol

At 9,000 feet in Middle Basin/Beehive there's 2 feet of snow. Facets near the ground are breaking in some stability tests. This week's cold weather will likely allow the facets to grow bigger. Photo: A. Whitmore

Photo: B. Campbell

This natural avalanche occured after last Thursday's storm and appears to have failed on a layer of weak facets near the ground. It is on the south boundary of Bridger ski area, on the shoulder of Mundy's Bowl. The ski area is closed, there is no avalanche control, and a backcountry snowpack exists across the mountain. Photo: GNFAC

On my way up the Mummy 3 gully I triggered this slide on a wind-loaded pocket: 2 feet deep, 50 feet wide, 50 feet long. For climbers, small avalanches can be deadly because they push us off cliffs. Photo: Chabot/GNFAC

Up Hyalite, on my way to climb Mummy 3, I got a wind drift to crack. Cracking is a classic sign of instability. We went higher, foolishly thinking we were through the worst of it when we triggeed a small avalanche. Photo: Chabot/GNFAC

Numerous avalanches were observed in and around Bridger Bowl on Friday. Most slides were confined to the storm snow, but a few stepped down to older layers. These small slides are good reminders that larger avalanches are possible in larger terrain. Photo BBSP 

Bridger Bowl has a backcountry snowpack. The ski area is closed, there is no avalanche control and normal backcountry precaution is necessary. Small avalanches are signs that bigger avalanches are likely. Nearby, the Apron avalanched naturally in pre-dawn hours. Photo: Bridger Bowl Ski Patrol

This is what a Northwest Flow in the Bridger Range looks like. Whoop, whoop! Photo: Bridger Bowl Ski Patrol

Snowpit from ~9400', northeast aspect, 24 degree slope at the Yellowstone Club in the Northern Madison Range. Weak faceted layers below the previous week's snowfall propagated fractures in stability tests. This shows a poor snowpack structure, and cold temperatures are making these facets weaker. Photo: GNFAC