Photos

From obs: "Sometime mid-day the steep rocky terrain above the going home couloir as well as the start zones in Tyler’s avalanched, just new snow, SS-N-D1R2-I. Just guessing about the trigger but didn’t see tracks going in, although there were certainly lots of people around." Photo: Sam H.

From obs: "Hi Guys, Skied an open slope adjacent to Hyalite creek... Lots of natural sluffing occurring within the new snow. This particular slope has some steep cliffs above it, and point releases from the cliffs would entrain new snow and run 200 ft downhill. Have a picture attached showing 2 of them, but saw about 7 or 8 of these throughout the day. Activity picked up in the early afternoon when the snow picked back up." Photo: M. Lavery

From obs: "While skiing a loaded east aspect in the Southern Gallatin, my partner got a large collapse as he started to break trail back to our skin track, cracks shot 20ish feet uphill." Photo: A. Palombo

From obs: "The NE facing slopes of Dudley Creek are struggling to hold the new snow. I easily triggered the 6-8" of new and windblown snow but it is also stepping down to the facets buried deeper." Photo: S. Budac

Stepping out of my skis I sunk to the ground. The snowpack is weak and unsupportable. Large grains of sugary facets (depth hoar) make up the bottom third of the snowpack. Photo: GNFAC

These 2 natural avalanches released in Frazier Basin in the northern Bridger Range about a week ago. They are reminders that the snowpack has a weak layer we should not forget about. Photo: A. Peterson

A snowmobiler triggered this slide to the east of Huckleberry Lake. It likely failed on facets that formed a couple weeks ago. The rider was buried to his knees and uninjured. Photo: GNFAC

A cornice broke (X) and triggered an avalanche on Miller Ridge. Photo: GNFAC

Skiers near Meridian Peak observed cracking in the snowpack. It appeared to be the wind-drifted snow sitting on top of a layer of feathery surface hoar buried about a foot under the snow. Photo: T Parrie

These 2 avalanches were triggered by snowmobilers on the south face of Sheep Mtn on 1/23. Photo: GNFAC

A snowmobiler was side-hilling a slope in Sunlight Basin and triggered an avalanche. The rider was not caught or injured. Photo: R. Deleers

This surface hoar crystal was pulled from the pit wall on Henderson Bench outside Cooke City. These feathers of snow are buried under a foot deep on some slopes. They are a weak layer that we are tracking throughout southwest MT. Photo: GNFAC

From Obs: "I skied into Maid of the Mist today, it looks like part of a cornice fell and it failed on a wind slab from last weekend’s snow. It did not step down to the depth hoar. Photo: S Reinsel

A natural avalanche on Ernie Miller Ridge failed on deeply buried facets earlier in the week on an east aspect. Skiers continue to report loud whumphs in the area. Photo: R. Wofford

From email, "A slab avalanche observed on Mt. Republic, northerly aspect, 8,600'." Photo: B Fredlund

2 slides on the south side of Sheep Mtn. Crown looked to be 1-3 feet high. Both where triggered by snowmobiles.  Photo: R. DeSilva

2 slides on the south side of Sheep Mtn. Crown looked to be 1-3 feet high. Both where triggered by snowmobiles.  Photo: R. DeSilva

Photo: Sam H.

From obs on 1/23/21: "I observed a couple older (1-2 week) naturals on E/ESE aspects in the Divide basin, and newer (1-3 days) naturals [shown in photo] on the NE side of Divide and an east aspect at the head of the Maid of the Mist basin." Photo: S. Reinsel