Northern Gallatin
Skier triggered and caught in slide above Lava Lake
Lava Lake
Northern Madison
Code
SS-ASu-R1-D1.5
Elevation
8000
Aspect
N
Latitude
45.37650
Longitude
-111.24600
Notes
Skier triggered slide on north-facing slopes above Lava Lake. Skier was caught, but not buried.
Number caught
1
Number buried
0
Avalanche Type
Soft slab avalanche
Trigger
Skier
Trigger Modifier
u-An unintentional release
R size
1
D size
1.5
Problem Type
New Snow
Slab Thickness
6.0 inches
Vertical Fall
50ft
Slab Width
25.00ft
Attached Videos
Slab Thickness units
inches
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Single Avalanche
Advisory Year
Lick Creek
Date
Activity
Skiing
Did a quick tour up Lick Creek this afternoon. Broken clouds, light to moderate wind near the summit, with intermittent snow showers. About 8-10" of fresh, fairly high density snow on the east side of the summit. Significantly less on the west facing slope.
I did a few hand pits on the east facing slope as I travelled back up to the top to explore the old/new interface. I suspect last night's storm started as rain below about 7800 ft, as there was a thin crust under the new snow below this elevation that I did not observe at the top. It was easy to hand shear the new snow off this layer where it existed.
Above about 7800 feet, I did not see this thin crust layer. The new snow seemed right side up and better bonded to the old surface.
Region
Northern Gallatin
Location (from list)
Lick Creek
Observer Name
Chris Pierce
Large natural avalanche on Cedar Mountain
Cedar Mtn.
Northern Madison
Code
N
Latitude
45.22680
Longitude
-111.51200
Notes
The Big Sky Ski Patrol saw this natural avalanche as it occurred. "This morning around 8:45AM myself and my route partner were doing control work in hanging valley. I watched as he prepared a shot and saw a big cloud of snow on Cedar behind him. As I was looking I saw an avalanche appear from below the blowing snow. I watched it run from near the top of the ridge to the runout approximately 800-1000 ft below. It looked like most of the bowl was involved in the avalanche so I estimate the crown to be likely 1000ft wide. It looked to not be an enormous amount of volume so I estimate it to be likely between 6in and 2ft. We did not get a good view of crown as weather moved in shortly after and winds were strong."
Number caught
0
Number buried
0
Trigger
Natural trigger
Vertical Fall
1000ft
Slab Width
1000.00ft
Slab Thickness units
centimeters
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Single Avalanche
Advisory Year
The Big Sky Ski Patrol saw this natural avalanche on Cedar Mountain as it occurred. Photo: N. Laskowski
Avalanche Details: Large natural avalanche on Cedar Mountain
Northern Madison, 2022-03-15
Multiple Skier Triggered Avalanches on Mt. Blackmore
Mt Blackmore
Northern Gallatin
Code
SS-AS-R1-D1.5-O
Elevation
10000
Aspect
E
Latitude
45.44440
Longitude
-111.00400
Notes
Multiple avalanches were observed on the East face of Mt. Blackmore on 3/14/22. The avalanche depicted on looker's right was triggered by a ski cut 50' above the crown.
Number caught
0
Number buried
0
Avalanche Type
Soft slab avalanche
Trigger
Skier
R size
1
D size
1.5
Bed Surface
O - Old snow
Vertical Fall
800ft
Images
Slab Thickness units
centimeters
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Multiple Avalanches
Advisory Year
Multiple skier triggered avalanches observed on 3/14/22. Photo: Anonymous
Triggered from a ski cut on 3/14/22. Photo: T. Rider
Avalanche Details: Multiple Skier Triggered Avalanches on Mt. Blackmore
Northern Gallatin, 2022-03-14
Skiers on the East face of Mt. Blackmore triggered this slab avalanche while ski cutting the slope. The avalanche broke 50' below the skier. Photo: T. Rider
Avalanche Details: Multiple Skier Triggered Avalanches on Mt. Blackmore
Northern Gallatin, 2022-03-14