22-23

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The Avalanche Warning has expired for the southern mountains. The storm began late Monday and dropped 2-3 feet of snow (2-2.5” </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://snow.wyo.gov/snow-surveys/snow-water-equivalent-swe"><span><span… water equivalent</span></span></u></span></span></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>) with strong westerly wind. This new snow will create avalanches, but deeply buried weak layers could create even bigger slides; either would be deadly. Dave and Ian rode into Tepee Basin in the southern Madison Range and found 2 feet of new snow and saw a avalanches that had broken during the storm (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://youtu.be/_eAH-TlOPUU"><span><span><span><strong><span><u><span>…;, </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.mtavalanche.com/node/28654"><span><span><span><strong><span>…;). They even saw a couple avalanches near Bacon Rind on the drive home (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.mtavalanche.com/images/23/avalanche-gallatin-river-near-baco…;).</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Today will become sunny and calm. It will be a great day to be in the mountains, but also a dangerous one. The snowpack needs time to adjust to its new load and will be sensitive to triggering today. We cannot rush Mother Nature. Staying off of slopes steeper than 30-degrees (avalanche terrain) is a given, yet we also need to stay away from flatter terrain at the bottom of slopes so we do not get buried from above. Sunny skies embolden us, but the snowpack doesn’t care.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The avalanche danger is rated CONSIDERABLE on all slopes.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The Bridger Range, Hyalite and Big Sky area picked up 11-14” of snow in a surprisingly robust storm. This snow added .8-1.5” of </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://snow.wyo.gov/snow-surveys/snow-water-equivalent-swe"><span><span…; to the snowpack, a fair bit of weight. As Ian noted in our </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://youtu.be/5P0-B8ATr70"><span><span><span><strong><span><u><span>… from Buck Ridge</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span> on Tuesday, even a little snow is concerning because weak layers 3-5 feet deep could avalanche on a few slopes. Yesterday’s storm was a wallop to the snowpack and we need to travel cautiously by avoiding avalanche terrain. Cornices along ridgelines will be touchy and could trigger slopes below. Furthermore, a person could trigger an avalanche in the new snow which could then trigger a deeper avalanche. The mechanics are not important, just that dangerous avalanche conditions exist. Sunny skies are </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_(mythology)"><span><span><span><str…; calling you forth, only to dash your well laid plans in an avalanche.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The avalanche danger is rated CONSIDERABLE since triggering a slide is likely.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Please share avalanche, snowpack or weather observations via our</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/add/snow_obs"><span><span><span><span>…; </span></span></u></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><strong><span><u><span><span>website</span></span></u></span></strong></span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span><span><span>, email (</span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><strong><span><span>mtavalanche@gmail.com</span></span></strong></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>), phone (406-587-6984), or Instagram (#gnfacobs). </span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p>The Avalanche Warning has expired for the southern mountains. The storm began late Monday and dropped 2-3 feet of snow with strong westerly wind. This new snow will create avalanches, but deeply buried weak layers could create even bigger slides; either would be deadly. The snowpack needs time to adjust to its new load and will be sensitive to triggering today. Staying off of slopes steeper than 30-degrees (avalanche terrain) is a given, yet we also need to stay away from flatter terrain at the bottom of slopes so we do not get buried from above.</p>