Northern Gallatin
Kept it Conservative
Date
Activity
Skiing
We toured to the east shoulder of Divide Peak today, 02/22/2024. We saw several natural avalanches on the north-facing terrain in Divide Cirque, below Hyalite Peak, and Overlook Mountain. These avalanches likely happened following a storm near the end of last week. Near the base of Divide, we dug on a SE-facing slope at 9300' and had a stability score of ECTP30. From here, we continued up the shoulder, trying our best to stay on slopes near 30 degrees in steepness. At the top of the shoulder on an east slope at 9600', we dug another pit and found 133 cm of snow and had a stability score of ECTP20. In both our snowpits, we had a well-defined layer of weak faceted snow buried 2-3 feet deep. This is the layer our stability tests failed on.
During our tour, we saw no cracking or collapsing, but recent natural avalanches near us and the large natural avalanche seen on Mt. Bole a few days ago encouraged us to keep our terrain choices conservative. We skied down near our skin track one at a time and avoided areas with terrain traps like gullies, cliffs, and thick trees below.
Region
Northern Gallatin
Location (from list)
Divide Peak
Observer Name
Zach Peterson
Natural Avalanches on Mt. Bole, Hyalite
Mt. Bole
Northern Gallatin
Code
N
Latitude
45.41560
Longitude
-110.99700
Notes
From obs: "From the approach trail to Mummy II we saw two large crowns on the ridge associated with Mt. Bole. Not sure when they happened, but they looked pretty big! Observed Monday morning, February 19"
Number caught
0
Number buried
0
Trigger
Natural trigger
Images
Snow Observation Source
Slab Thickness units
centimeters
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Multiple Avalanches
Advisory Year
Observed on 02/19/2024: From obs: "From the approach trail to Mummy II we saw two large crowns on the ridge associated with Mt. Bole. Not sure when they happened, but they looked pretty big!" Photo: M. Bjornsson
Observed on 02/19/2024: From obs: "From the approach trail to Mummy II we saw two large crowns on the ridge associated with Mt. Bole. Not sure when they happened, but they looked pretty big!" Photo: M. Bjornsson
Avalanche Details: Natural Avalanches on Mt. Bole, Hyalite
Northern Gallatin, 2024-02-20
Observed on 02/19/2024: From obs: "From the approach trail to Mummy II we saw two large crowns on the ridge associated with Mt. Bole. Not sure when they happened, but they looked pretty big!" Photo: M. Bjornsson
Avalanche Details: Natural Avalanches on Mt. Bole, Hyalite
Northern Gallatin, 2024-02-20
Large Crowns in Hyalite
Date
Activity
Ice Climbing
From the approach trail to Mummy II we saw two large crowns on the ridge associated with Mt. Bole. Not sure when they happened, but they looked pretty big! Observed Monday morning, February 19
Region
Northern Gallatin
Location (from list)
Mt. Bole
Observer Name
Matteo Bjornsson
Avalanche Above Twin Falls
Hyalite - main fork
Northern Gallatin
Code
Latitude
45.44720
Longitude
-110.96200
Notes
From email: "My partner and I were out ice climbing in Hyalite today and I wanted to share our observations.
Our objective was Cleopatra’s needle. We arrived at the base of the climb around 11:30, skies were clear and winds were calm. Once I topped out around 3:30pm, skies were overcast and winds were picking up from the northwest and began to transport snow off the trees. I also noticed a pretty sizable crown on one of the convexities above Twin Falls. I traversed around to get a better look and took a couple pictures.
The crown appeared very new, likely within the past couple of days I would guess. It appeared 3 feet at its deepest and roughly 100 feet wide. I’m not sure if it was a natural or remote trigger, but definitely a scare nonetheless for any potential climbers below."
Number caught
0
Number buried
0
Problem Type
Persistent Weak Layer
Slab Thickness
24.0 inches
Slab Width
100.00ft
Images
Slab Thickness units
inches
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Single Avalanche
Advisory Year
Climbers in Hyalite saw an avalanche that likely happened in the last 48 hours above Twin Falls on 02/19/2024. The trigger is unknown, 3' at the deepest point, and broke 100' wide. Photo: R. Parsons
Avalanche Details: Avalanche Above Twin Falls
Northern Gallatin, 2024-02-19