23-24

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The primary avalanche concern today is wet snow. There may be a light surface crust this morning, but warm temperatures and clouds overnight have kept the snowpack from solidly refreezing. Despite very warm air temps, clouds and cooling winds today will likely keep the wet snow danger mostly in check. However, be on high alert if the sun comes out, even for just a few minutes, especially if winds are light. Thankfully, it’s pretty simple to know when the wet snow danger is rising. If the surface snow gets gloppy, wet and you’re sinking up to your boot tops in wet snow it’s about time to move to shady, cooler aspects or head home. Pinwheels of wet snow and loose slides releasing show the danger has already risen and you should hustle off of steep sunny slopes ASAP.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Slab avalanches breaking on buried weak layers are less likely, but still need mentioning. In many places a thin layer of facets can be found under 1-2 feet of snow from last week. On Monday, snowmobilers in Lionhead triggered a small slide on this layer (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/SIglDcDu-MU?feature=share"><span><span><span…;) and it is likely responsible for a natural avalanche on the Fin near Cooke City that broke as the surface snow got wet on Wednesday as well (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/24/fin-cooke-city"><span><span><span…;). The weak snow at the ground is even less likely to avalanche, but if it did, the resulting slides would be very large. Wet loose slides or cornice fall could also help trigger these bigger slides, another great reason to avoid steep slopes that are getting wet.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The avalanche danger is MODERATE today.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Today’s wet snow avalanche danger is a result of the interplay between temperatures, cloud cover and wind. Yesterday’s unexpected clouds kept most large, wet avalanches at bay. Ian was in Frazier Basin in the Bridger Range, the warmest region, and found the snow surface wetting and sliding (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/24/loose-wet-october-bowl-0402"><spa…;). Even in Cooke City, one of the coolest areas, a few hours of direct sunshine and above freezing temperatures caused a large wet slab avalanche on the Fin on Republic Mountain (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/24/fin-cooke-city"><span><span><span…;).&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>This morning the snow surface is likely frozen, even with above freezing air temperatures. Clouds and wind will keep the wet snow danger in check </span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><em><span>IF</span></em></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span> the clouds and wind remain as forecasted. That’s a big </span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><em><span>IF</span></em></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>. Luckily, identifying conditions for wet snow danger is not subtle. A sign of impending wet danger is when the surface gets gloppy, wet and you can sink to your boot tops. Pinwheels of wet snow and loose slides releasing are another. As Ian pointed out in his </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/1rWd5PEVNIA?feature=share"><span><span><span…;, seek shady, cooler aspects if this occurs. On Tuesday, Dave had a similar warning and observation after skiing both the west and east side of the Bridger Range (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://youtu.be/WJWxsKW0flc"><span><span><span><strong><span><u><span>…;).</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Buried in the snow are 2 weak layers we are concerned about. A thin film of facets can be found under 1-2 feet of snow from last week. This is what the Fin likely avalanched on and was the culprit of a small snowmobiler triggered slide Ian and I investigated in Lionhead on Tuesday (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/SIglDcDu-MU?feature=share"><span><span><span…;). Much deeper in the snowpack, near the ground, is a thick layer of sugary facets that will not be easily triggered, but man-o-man, if it did, the slide would be deep and big. A cornice peeling off in the warm weather could be an effective trigger (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/24/large-cornices-along-lionhead-rid…;).&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The avalanche danger will start as MODERATE and may rise to a wet snow danger of CONSIDERABLE if the sun comes out and the wind decreases.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>