Northern Gallatin

Skied Candyland near Shower Falls in Hyalite today. Got a decent look around and didn't see any natural avalanches. Got a ECTN12 @ 8k' east facing aspect at Candyland. Fractured at the new snow old snow interface about 40cm down from the surface. 115cm total snow depth. Very soft upper 40cm of snow with firmer snow underneath. Was snowing on and off while I was there and still snowing when I left

8" of new snow at the Grotto Falls TH. Photo: GNFAC

Just an initial look at low elevation snow around some of the ice climbs.

8" of new snow at the Grotto Falls TH. 
 

I couldn't find any surface hoar that was buried by last night's snow, but I'm sure it's out there. Doesn't really matter because there's plenty of weak, faceted snow that was the previous snow surface.

The new snow is all fluff and not a concern at lower elevations in Hyalite. Perhaps it could be enough of a load and enough of a cohesive slab at higher elevations where more snow fell. 

For now, things seem mostly stable, but that will change quickly with any amount of wind. 

My partner and I dug a pit on the SW side of Divide Peak at 9200' and conducted an ECT test with a score of ETCN. Our snow pit was about 120cm deep, and the identifiable weak layer in the shovel shear test was an ice crust layer at about 30cm from the base. We did not find any of the faceting issues that have been reported across the advisory range.

Thanks for all that you do!

We toured toward Hyalite Peak and didn't go to the ridge because the wind was blowing so hard. We didn't observe any natural avalanches and only got localized cracking. The snow was still soft in the trees.