Northern Gallatin

Divide Pk 9600ft SE facing snowpit on 27 Dec 2024 with ECTP27 and ECTP23 at 22" deep

Divide Peak 9560ft E facing profile 27 Dec 2024

Divide Pk 9560ft E facing snowpit, ECTP30 about 24" deep on 27 Dec 2024

Toured to Upper Hyalite Canyon to Divide Peak and we were pleasantly surprised. The layer of weak facets buried almost 2' deep up there has gained some hardness (4 fingers hardness instead of Fist hardness). It produced more promising test scores than we've been seeing in other places.

• ECTN at 9000', NE facing
• ECTP30 at 9560' E facing
• ECTP27 and ECTP23 at 9600' SE facing

We did not experience any cracking or collapsing. There had been strong winds three days ago, but it didn't seem like winds have moved much snow since then and there was lots of great powder skiing.

This is just one observation but it is perhaps a hint that this layer could heal in the reasonable future. Continuing to bury this layer with light snowfall would do it. 

For now, we're cautiously optimistic that we found one place with decent-ish looking snow. Hyalite and the entire Northern Gallatin Range is a large place with a lot of variability and likely many places with plenty of weak snow that warrants digging and assessing the weak layer. 

Headed into Blackmore Basin today planning to keep it low angle and to see the effects of recent snow and wind. Moderate winds with strong gusts were transporting snow the entire day, and a stout windslab was widespread. All previous tracks on the main SE facing run were completely filled in. Asides from the wind transport and some small natural cornice drops I noticed no other major signs of instability, but still kept a solid margin from avalanche terrain.

Above 9000’ winds were actively loading the snow and I got cracking and a very small slab to release on a small wind drifted roll over at 9500’ on a N aspect. Photo: E Heiman

Toured up into the Blackmore area today and found a pretty interesting upper snowpack with everything below roughly 8500’ wet from yesterday’s green housing and up slope winds in the Hyalite area. From trailhead to our peak elevation at 9500’ the new snow from last night ranged from a dusting to about 3 inches and capped the wet snow. Above 9000’ winds were actively loading the snow and I got cracking and a very small slab to release on a small wind drifted roll over at 9500’ on a N aspect. Later in our tour we dropped a cornice on an E slope and there was no avalanche activity, albeit the snowpack below the cornice seemed to be very thin as the cornice pulled off most of the surface snow and exposed a lot of rock. Overall decent ski conditions above 8500’. 

There was some natural avalanche activity on the peak south of mt Bole. Photo: Anonymous

We got into the Maid basin around 9:30 am while things were still cold. Much evidence of the recent wind event in the alpine with widespread wind slabs ranging in thickness from an inch to feet. There was some natural avalanche activity on the peak south of mt Bole. 
 

Got an ECTN 19 and 23 on a SE aspect at 9300’ HS 95cm

This was on a thin layer of facets sitting under a crust at 58cm. With a few prior hand pits showing planar shear on this layer we opted to keep it low angle.

By noon things were getting quite warm and Skiing through the thinly covered, glopy bushwhack back to the trail was our crux for the day. 

Light winds and a sunny morning were quickly having an effect on the snowpack at history rock. Around 40f temps all day, with a moist, gloppy, snow surface. A quick dig in the top meadow showed the storm/windblown snow was moist down to the crust formed during our last high pressure, and the basal facets were also moist up to around 30cm from the ground. We saw no signs of instability in the less skied areas of the top meadow, including those that had been recently wind loaded.