Northern Gallatin

Shooting cracks in windslabs, Hyalite

Overlook Mountain
Northern Gallatin
Code
Latitude
45.40500
Longitude
-110.94200
Notes

From an email:

"At about 9,000ft on the northern aspect of Overlook mtn we dug a pit to the ground (90cm) and got ECTX and very stable results. We found the basal faucets to be quite rounded except for some large ones growing off rocks. About 500ft higher we found a pervasive wind slab that stretched across the face. We got some large shooting cracks while skinning and ended up turning around. Picture is attached. Before the wind picked up we found surface hoar almost 3/4 of an inch deep!

Number of slides
0
Number caught
0
Number buried
0
Images
Surface Hoar in Hyalite
Shooting Crack in Hyalite
Slab Thickness units
centimeters
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Red Flag
Advisory Year
19-20

From obs: "We took a tour up into the Maid today. A generally stable snowpack in the area, new snow seemed to bond well with the underneath crust layer. We did observe small pinwheels/rollers on steep pitches on southeast aspects, mostly due to the rocks heating up during the day. We also observed sluff buildup on aprons below the shadier and steep northern aspects." Photo: Tommy S.

Northern Gallatin, 2019-11-23
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    • Toured up to the ridge at Bridger today and traversed into Bridger Gully. At around 8,000' in the trees above the most prominent snowfield, my partner and I observed very small dry sluffs confined to the new snow.  Bellow Bridger Gully, my partner was able to release a slide while traversing through rocks above his intended line. This was on an east-southeast aspect at 7,500'. Photo: Cole Oshiro-Leavitt

    Avalanche Details: Small new snow avalanches at Bridger
    Bridger Range, 2019-11-22
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    • Small new snow avalanches at Bridger

    Bridger Bowl
    Bridger Range
    Code
    SS-N-R1-D1.5-I
    Elevation
    8500
    Aspect Range
    E-NE
    Latitude
    45.81560
    Longitude
    -110.92300
    Notes

    Thursday, November 21:

    1. "I observed 2 natural avalanches on the slopes between the Apron and Ramp. No ski tracks in those areas. I thought I took a picture but didn’t. Looks like they both started in the rock bands below the ridge. One was small and the other was considerably larger. Hard to know if they ran today or yesterday. Looked like it was just new snow. Pretty much east aspect."

    2. "Toured up to the ridge at Bridger today and traversed into Bridger Gully. At around 8,000' in the trees above the most prominent snowfield, my partner and I observed very small dry sluffs confined to the new snow. Bellow Bridger Gully, my partner was able to release a slide while traversing through rocks above his intended line. This was on an east-southeast aspect at 7,500'. Snow just a few degrees more to the east was dryer. The snowpack nearby thinned greatly on the east-southeast aspect.

    Wednesday, November 20:

    1. " Noted some activity (D1-D2) isolated to the new snow around rock features and ridgetops that were wind-affected.  Our pit revealed a weakening and thin snowpack due to the drier weather, however, the facet growth at the ground has remained fairly slow and has maintained moisture."

    Number of slides
    3
    Number caught
    0
    Number buried
    0
    Avalanche Type
    Soft slab avalanche
    Trigger
    Natural trigger
    R size
    1
    D size
    1.5
    Bed Surface
    I - Interface between new and old snow
    Problem Type
    Wind-Drifted Snow
    Images
    Slide below Bridger Gully
    New snow avalanches on Saddle Peak
    Natural new snow avalanches near Bridger
    Fresh wind slabs at Bridger
    Slab Thickness units
    centimeters
    Single / Multiple / Red Flag
    Multiple Avalanches
    Advisory Year
    19-20
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